School Life
by XxXMiyavisHeartXxX
Summary: Ruki is starting in a new school, and is quickly making friends, but a certain dark haired male is proving to cause him trouble, whether with his friends, his boyfriend, or toying with his heart. He will need to choose what he really wants...
1. A new School

CHAPTER ONE

It was the first day, and he was nervous. He was always nervous. He didn't like moving; having to start all over. However, his dad was transferred, and they had no choice but to move.

High school was a bitch. It always had been, for him. His height didn't help. Along with his quiet personality, and his like of walking alone, he was classified as a freak wherever he went.

He quickly dressed in jeans and a black shirt. There was no need to get dressed up. He styped his hair in the usual way; straightening his black hair, fixing his red bangs. He had dyed it last night, so the red was bright and deep in color, not yet faded.

Adding a small chain belt, a couple fishnet gloves and he was ready to go. His parents had already left for work, so he grabbed an apple and left; grabbing his school bag on the way out.

The walk to school was shorter than where he last lived, but much more interesting. In his last town, his walk as down a busy road, where all you saw were speeding cars and grey houses. But today, he walked through a park, a playground, and over a hill; on top of the hill he could see to the mountains, miles away.

This new school he was attending had a grand total of three hundred students. Yeah, that's right…three hundred. He sighed. It was going to be a long two years. After getting his schedule, he started walking down the hallway. His first class was Math in room 271. He walked slowly, searching for the room number. Bad idea; the hallway was full of people, and none of them were stopping. They pushed him out of the way, right into a tall blonde. He gasped.

"I'm sorry!" He said quickly, looking up at the other. The blonde looked down at him with a smile. He studied the blonde's face. It seemed kind enough, compared to everybody else around here. He noticed a white band wrapped around the others face, covering his nose, silently wondering what it was for. The blonde grinned.

"Its fine," he said, pulling them out of the way of the passing crowd. "You get used to the mob after a few days, don't worry." The blonde grinned again. It must have been contagious since he found himself grinning stupidly as well. "Where are you headed?" Quickly handing over his schedule, he watched as the blonde studied it for a quick second before handing it back. "I'm in all of your classes. Why don't you let me show you around today?" Nodding quietly, he looked up at the blonde and smiled. "I'm Reita, by the way. What's your name?"

"Ruki…," he spoke quietly. He was not usually this shy…so why was he now? Reita smiled down at Ruki.

"Nice to meet you, Ruki," Reita said, smiling as he led the other through the hallways to their first class. Ruki grinned and thanked Reita. He doubted that if it wasn't for the other, he would've made it through the hallway and to class in time.

"Oh god, what is that?" Ruki frowned at the voice and turned to see a pale, dark haired man sitting on a desk in one corner of the room, with a group of what were probably his friends sitting around him. He was looking right at Ruki. It was then that Ruki realized that the dark haired boy was talking about him. Reita frowned as he noticed the boy beside him looks down, hurt in his eyes.

"Aoi, get a life," Reita said, speaking up for the shorter boy, as he led him to two seats at the front, away from Aoi and his group. Ruki smiled slightly at the blonde. It surprised Ruki that Reita would stick up for him like that, even if he only had just met him. But looking around, he noticed that none of the class was really fond of the group of boys that had insulted him.

"Don't worry about Aoi, Ruki. He's just a jerk because he girlfriend dumped him…," Reita said quietly as he set his books on the table. Ruki looked up at him, doing the same with his new notepad and pen. He always liked to be fully prepared no matter what.

"So he's not always like that?" Ruki questioned. Reita laughed, making Ruki frown. Reita noticed this, and stopped, clearing his throat.

"Sorry…," he apologized quickly. "No, he's always like that to people who are even remotely different. He's pretty much the most popular guy in the school, though I can't figure out why. But whatever he says goes, and if he doesn't like you, then you're pretty much exiled." Ruki became even more worried. It was obvious that Aoi didn't like him…would he be exiled now because of one comment? The worry must have shown on his face as Reita spoke again. "But don't worry, Ruki. He's just upset…chances are it'll just be forgotten anyways. And if not, you still have me, and I'll introduce you to my friends. You won't be completely alone." Ruki smiled thankfully at Reita, but didn't get a chance to say anything before the teacher came in.

"Mr. Shiroyama, please sit down properly in your desk," the teacher said, walking up to the front of the class. Ruki looked at Aoi as the dark haired boy glared at the teacher before dropping into the seat, leaning back disrespectfully. He glanced over at Ruki, seeing the younger staring at him, and flicked him off. Ruki frowned and turned around. What was his problem anyways? Apparently, the teacher either didn't see that little act, or chose to ignore it as he started the day's lesson. As the class started on their work, the room went into a sudden burst of everybody talking, and writing, moving their desks around to sit by their friends. Ruki tried to focus on his work, smiling as Reita sat beside him. He was glad he had at least made a friend before Aoi decided to insult him in front of the class.

Ruki gasped as he suddenly felt a pencil hitting him in the back of his head. He rubbed the now sore spot as he turned around to see who threw it. His eyes fell on Aoi. The dark haired male was staring straight at him. Why was he looking at him like that? The stare was cold, yet…mysterious? Ruki wasn't sure what to call it, but when he felt Reita elbow him to get his attention. Ruki turned around back in his seat, and continued to do his work.

"What was that about?" Reita asked, looking over at Ruki. Ruki glanced at the blonde and shook his head, not quite sure what had just happened between him and the raven haired boy.

"I…don't know…," Ruki sighed.

~!~

Reita led Ruki through the rows of round tables at the school cafeteria to one where two other boys sat. Reita grinned and greeted them, sitting down. Ruki watched as the two boys smiled at Reita, saying a quick hello to the blonde. Ruki stood there for a moment, not sure if he was meant to intrude in this little meeting. It would've been obvious to anybody watching the scene, that when Reita brought Ruki there, he wanted him to join them, but Ruki being who he was, wanting to make sure of this fact before he invited himself to the table. When the three looked up at Ruki expectantly, Ruki blushed deeply, but did not make any move.

"Ruki, are you going to sit down?" Reita asked, making Ruki blush and quickly sit down. Reita smiled at him, and motioned to the other two, who grinned and waved. "This is Kai and Tora," the blonde explained. Ruki nodded and smiled at them, saying a quiet 'nice to meet you' to each of them. Studying them carefully, Ruki smiled as not to seem rude. Kai, who sat on the left, had short, dark hair and wore a smile that could light up even the darkest of rooms. And even Ruki himself couldn't deny that the dimple that showed when Kai smiled was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. Ruki stopped when he realized what he just thought. _How gay…_. Tora, who sat close beside Kai, a little too close for them to be _just_ friends, as Ruki thought, had a small, round face, and was rather pale. However, the skin tone worked well with Tora's dark hair. It gave the other a rather mysterious appeal.

"So, Ruki, how has your first day been so far?" Kai spoke, bringing Ruki out of his present thoughts. Looking up, Ruki seen the three of them eating happily, as Tora and Reita chatted excitedly with each other about some sort of get together Friday night; Ruki was mildly interested, but looked to Kai, who was still awaiting an answer from him. Ruki smiled.

"It's been okay, though I don't think I could've managed my way through everything if Reita didn't help me," Ruki grinned. He saw Reita glance over at him and Kai, smiling slightly. Ruki blushed, though he wasn't sure why, and quickly hid it by looking down at his sandwich. Okay, so it wasn't the most interesting of lunches, but he didn't really care much this morning when he made it. After all, since when did people judge a person's character by their choice in edible snacks? However, now as he looked around at the other's expensive looking lunches, he couldn't help but feel a little underdressed in the food section…_Wait a second, what was he saying? He must be losing his mind…and it's only the first day! _Looking up, he seemed he had missed out on something important that was said.

"Gomen…what was that?" Ruki asked quickly, blushing deeply. Reita laughed and looked at Kai, who also was smiling brightly, though Ruki doubted that he had stopped smiling since the beginning of the lunch hour.

"I said that we and a friend of ours are getting together on Friday. Would you like to join us?" Ruki looked at the three, his mouth open in shock. They wanted him to come with them? He had only known Reita for half a day, and he had already introduced him to two of his friends, and inviting him to hang out Friday? Ruki grinned. He didn't know things could go so good! Turning around, Ruki frowned. Perhaps he had spoken too soon. Looking to the door, he saw the same dark-haired boy from his first class walk into the cafeteria, immediately causing a shiver to run down Ruki's spine as he let out a small gasp. Reita noticed this and frowned, looking up to see what Ruki was staring so intently on; and seen Aoi. _Aoi…_. Aoi stopped, noticing the short male sitting at the table, his eyes focused directly on him. Aoi smirked. Ruki noticed that he had been noticed, but did not look away. He did not want to show fear, though he was obviously feeling it.

Ruki watched as the dark haired male sat at a table at the head of the room. Their eyes met once more, as Aoi nodded to him. Ruki was surprised, but nodded back. He wasn't sure what it meant; a secret agreement? A threat? The beginning of a war….but for now, Ruki enjoyed his lunch with his new friends. For after this day, a new kind of battle would begin.


	2. A brief Encounter

Chapter Two

It was nearing the end of the week, and Ruki had been so excited for Friday, that he had almost forgotten about Aoi. However, it seemed the dark haired male couldn't let the short boy forget about him forever. Walking out of the school Thursday afternoon, exhausted and eager to get home, Ruki gasped when he was pulled off of the path, and shoved against the building. The wind was knocked out of him, and it took a moment before it registered in his mind what had just happened. He looked around to see a group of guys around him, looking at him sinisterly. Ruki looked at each of them, immediately feeling like he was in danger.

He tried to get passed them, only to get pushed back by a red haired boy. Another boy with dark blue hair, almost looking black, held Ruki down as the red haired boy punched him hard, hitting his chin. Ruki fought against the boy holding him down, but couldn't manage to break free. After receiving another hit from the other side, he felt blood build in his mouth, some dripping from his lip. Spitting the blood in his mouth out, he looked up at the red haired boy. Seeing the other stare at him in disgust, he frowned and fought to break free from the hold, to try and regain some of his honour, to fight back. He seen the red haired boy lift his fist up, and Ruki shut his eyes tightly, preparing himself for yet another hit.

"That's enough," a deep voice spoke up above the group, stopping the boy. Ruki opened his eyes, surprised by the interruption. He couldn't seen the owner of the voice, being on the ground, the two boys blocking his view. Though they soon moved back, revealing the owner of deep, sensual voice, and Ruki's eyes opened wide. _No way…_

~!~

Ruki could hear someone's voice calling him. It was so blurry; he could barely understand what the person was saying. Who was it? He opened his eyes cautiously, he vision blurred. He could vaguely make out a mess of blonde hair leaning over him, calling his name. He groaned as he felt his head start to pound harshly. Was he safe? Where did they go? Where they still here? Where was Aoi? Ruki sat up quickly, looking around, immediately feeling the dizziness overtake him, and falling over onto the person sitting beside him. He felt himself quickly falling back into an unconscious state, two arms wrapping around him, picking him up before he fell back unconscious.

_Ruki stared up at Aoi. The red haired male had stopped hitting him now, and he wiped away the blood that was running down his chin. Quickly standing up, he felt a bit dizzy, but focused on protecting himself from whatever attack the dark haired male might make on him. Instead, he was surprised when the other sent the two away, leaving only himself and Ruki. Ruki trembled, and stared at the other, his fists clenched. _

"_Are you afraid of me?" Aoi spoke deeply. Ruki stared at him, confusion written all over his face. What sort of question was that? Should he take that as a threat? Aoi must have realized that Ruki wasn't going to answer, and frowned, moving closer. "I said are you afraid?"_

"_N-no…," Ruki asked, trembling as he felt the other's breath on his face, the closeness frightening him slightly. What did he want? Looking up, their eyes met, and Ruki swore he saw something in them, something different then the cold look he always saw on the other. Ruki almost dared to say it was caring…almost. Instead, Ruki pushed Aoi away. "What do you want?"_

_It was then that Aoi hit Ruki. Not like the red haired boy had done, to intentionally hurt Ruki, but it was enough to knock him out. Ruki fell to the ground. Aoi sighed, and kneeled beside the other, kissing Ruki's forehead._

"_I'm sorry."_

Ruki woke up in a soft bed, the covers wrapped around him comfortably. He opened his eyes slowly, and looked around. This was not his room. Looking down at the blankets that were covering him, he sighed. These were not his blankets, nor his sheets. Sitting up, he looked down at the long white shirt he was wearing. That was not his shirt either. _What the hell had he gotten himself into? _

Ruki got up, only to sit back down as the pain overtook him. He groaned in pain as he sat on the edge of the bed, holding his head. Suddenly, someone ran into the room. Ruki looked up, immediately moving back on instinct. Reita looked at him in surprise.

"You're awake," the blonde spoke, "great!" Ruki stared at him, before sighing happily at realizing that it was just Reita. Ruki looked around, down to his bare legs showing from under the white shirt, then back up to Reita.

"You brought me here?" he said quietly, looking up at him drowsily. Reita nodded and went over to the other, holding out Ruki's now clean clothes.

"Aoi and his gang beat you up pretty bad. Kai and I saw you lying outside the school yard. Thank god you didn't lose too much blood. You'll be ok now though," Reita said with a smile. Ruki looked away, almost embarrassed at what had happened. Did the other think he was incapable of taking care of himself now? He sighed.

"I should get back home," he said quietly, standing up, his clothes in his hand. Reita looked at him for a bit. Looking over his shoulder, Ruki glanced at the blonde. "What?" It seemed like ages before the other replied.

"Ruki, I'm sorry that I wasn't there when it happened. I would've stopped him from hurting you," Reita said slowly, quite upset at himself over what he thought he had let happen. Ruki just grew even more furious at himself. Of course! Reita thought he was a wimp who couldn't handle his own fights now! Just because he was shorter than the other, he just bet! Of course, Ruki knew that he would never win in a physical fight. He didn't have the muscles. Reita on the other hand… Ruki looked over the other's arms and abdomen. He was quite muscular, though it seemed to suit him. Unlike most guys who work out too much, making themselves look like some dumbass body builder, Reita seemed to pull it off completely nonchalantly. Wait, what? Ruki shook his head, trying to snap himself out of whatever faze he was in.

"Look Reita, thank you, but I really should get home now. My dad will start to wonder where I am if I don't," Ruki said, before rushing out of the room, changing in the bathroom, and leaving before Reita could find him and say something else to make Ruki think strange things.

~!~

Reita was quite confused at the other's sudden words and actions. What had he done to make the other so nervous? He had seen the other checking him out, and although it should have, it didn't really bother Reita. He knew what he was, though the rest of the school did not. He just wasn't sure if Ruki was really that type of person. If he was, the Reita was quite lucky, but if he wasn't… It seemed Reita had gotten himself into quite a mess, and the other didn't even know it yet. There was only the problem of Aoi. He knew that there was something strange going on with the raven haired boy and Ruki, yet his short friend didn't seem to really notice it all that much. Either that or it didn't bother him…. Either that or…Reita shook his head. He didn't want to think about that right now. All he needed to think about was how to get him and Ruki closer…


	3. I'll never tell

Chapter 3

When Ruki came home, he was greeted with the horrid sound of his dad yelling at him, wondering where he was. Ruki didn't answer. He just went straight to his room, shutting the door loudly. He couldn't be bothered with trying to explain what had happened. He hurt too much. The walk home had been horrible. With so much pain running through his body, he had almost collapsed, and had to sit down on a park bench for a few minutes. Stumbling out of his clothes, he stepped into a warm shower, hoping it would help.

He knew his dad would be furious. He was always telling Ruki how weak he was, and how he could never stand up for himself. It had been this way a lot at his old school. In his old school, he was a freak. He had no friends, and everyday he got beat up. You would think that it would have made him stronger; helped him learn to fight back, but no. Ruki didn't like violence, and he would never hit someone. He preferred words against physical actions. But because of this, everybody, including his dad, thought that he was a wimp, and enjoyed to beat him up. It wasn't a very good life, yet Ruki always seemed to find the good in it. He was a decent singer, and he knew that with the right people, he could make it big. But sometimes, it just felt hopeless.

As he got out of the shower and put on some pyjamas, he walked back out to get something to eat before going to bed. His dad sat at the table, watching him as he came into the kitchen. Ruki tried his best to look normal, but he knew his dad was angry at him. His dad wanted him to fight back. His dad didn't want this to even happen when they moved. His dad wished he had a normal son. But Ruki wasn't normal. He would never be normal. He didn't _want_ to be normal. Grabbing the juice container out of the fridge, he poured himself a glass and made a sandwich before heading back to his room, but not before he could hear his father's hateful words.

"I wish you weren't such a disappointment."

~!~

School the next day went as normal for Reita. Teachers babbling on and on about something, being given homework, and glaring at the school asshole were all on his list of things to do today. However, something didn't seem right, and after two minutes of his first class he figured it out. Ruki wasn't there. He knew that the other would be in pain, but what he had found out about the other right away was that he never missed a day of school; not even a class. His friends had laughed about it with Ruki, even joking that it was strange to see someone their age so dedicated to school, but it really did seem like Ruki would rather be here than at home.

As roll call started, Reita sighed. Maybe he should go over and see if Ruki was alright. He had texted him this morning, but had yet to get a reply. He guessed that Ruki had still been sleeping, but when he didn't show up for class, Reita started to get worried.

"Matsumoto, Takanori?" The teacher called out for the other. Reita sighed and was about to explain the other probably wasn't feeling well and wouldn't be coming in, when a voice from the door spoke.

"I'm here," Ruki said weakly, leaning against the doorway weakly. Most of the injuries from Aoi and his group weren't deep and most had healed overnight, leaving only a slightly black eye and a few bruises here and there. Yet he still limped into the classroom, very much in pain, almost yelping as he sat down. Wincing, Ruki tried to get comfortable in his spot beside Reita and listen as the class roll call continued.

Ruki looked over at Reita, seeing the worried expression on his face. Ruki just shook his head and looked away. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Aoi. Ruki stared at him. What was with the other? He was looking at him in such a strange way; almost…confusion? Yeah, he would be confused. He knew that nothing that he and his friends did would cause the limp Ruki had, and he would be right. But there was something else in that gaze. Knowing? How could Aoi, the biggest jerk and the most popular guy in school, know what had happened? He didn't, obviously. He was probably just trying to get to Ruki, make him feel better before he and his friends jumped him again. Turning back around, Ruki hissed at the pain it brought.

~!~

Reita was scared out of his mind. He didn't think that Ruki would show up, and when he did, he looked like he couldn't even walk! He glared over at the raven haired boy. Had he done this? He hoped to Kami-sama that Aoi or one of his goons hadn't raped Ruki; though that was definitely what it looked like. Reita looked back over at Ruki and put a hand on his shoulder, making Ruki jump.

"I'm sorry, Ruki. Are you alright?" Reita asked cautiously. Ruki didn't look at him, but he felt his muscles tense under his hand. "Ruki?" The black and red haired boy looked up at him, and Reita could see the exhaustion on the other's face. He looked sadly down at him.

Ruki refused to talk to anybody that day, only shaking his head whenever someone asked him if he was ok. He refused to answer any of the questions the teachers gave him, and didn't even bother sitting with Reita, Kai and Tora when lunch came around.

"Is he ok?" Kai asked Reita, looking out the window where Ruki sat alone on the swing, not moving at all, just staring at the ground. They all watched sadly, not knowing what was wrong with their friend.

"I don't know. He was late for class this morning, and he's been limping around all day," Reita said to them, moving to a new window and Ruki limped away from the swing set. Tora stopped and looked at him.

"He's been limping like that all day? Did Aoi rape him?" Tora looked angry as he asked Reita. Tora had a bad past, and no one really liked to talk about it. A few years ago, just after Tora and Kai had gotten together, he was kidnapped, and the whole school was upset about it. Tora was a really nice kid, and was friends with everybody. A few days later the police had found him in an old warehouse, beaten and raped; barely alive. Of course, he had gotten better now and he and Kai were in a very healthy relationship, but it still bugged him when anything like that happened and he heard about it. Now that it was a possibility that Ruki had the same thing happen to him, Tora was furious.

Tora didn't want for an answer before he pushed past Reita, storming right up to Aoi. The raven haired boy looked up at him curiously, giving his friends a smile and a look of playfulness as they made jokes towards the shorter dark haired boy. Tora ignored them and stared at Aoi.

"What's your problem, Tora?" Aoi asked, looking at him, wanting to know why he was standing in front of him, bothering his lunch hour with his friends. Tora glared at the other's friend's remarks, but made not a sound towards them, and instead returned the sharp stare back to Aoi.

"Did you rape Ruki?" he asked directly, staring into the other's eyes. Aoi looked taken aback and shocked. Rape? Why would the other ask such a question? Of course he wouldn't! He would never do something as horrible as rape. He glared right back at the other and stood up.

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing! Now I assume that you have something you really wanted to tell me or ask me? Because if not, you can just go right back to your filthy little friends and tell them to keep their comments to themselves, now get out of my face!" Aoi yelled at the other before pushing him away and sitting back down. Tora stared at him.

"You did, didn't you? You sick, son of a bitch!" Tora screamed attacking the other, punching him in the face, sending Aoi flying to the ground and off his seat. After seeing this, Aoi's friends stood up, pulling Tora away and hitting him down as well, protecting their friend. Reita and Kai stood in horror as the scene exploded in front of their eyes. Kai quickly rushed over to help Tora out of the mess he'd gotten himself into, while Reita just stared at everything. Looking around, he didn't even notice as Ruki came in slowly. Reita's eyes finally found the small black and red haired boy, moving over to him.

"Ruki, are you ok?" Reita asked worriedly. Ruki looked around at the disaster, and turned around, starting to walk away. Reita stared, his mouth open, before quickly following the other. "Please, Ruki. I'm worried about you. What happened? Please, tell me?" Ruki stopped at looked at him, before managing a small smile.

"Reita, I'm really happy I have you as a friend here, and I'm sorry I'm worrying you so much. But please, don't think about it anymore ok? I'm just trying to move past it, and I don't want to talk about it anymore," the shorter boy told the blonde. Reita looked at him, sighing and nodding. Ruki smiled, taking the taller boy's hand reassuringly before walking away with him.


	4. Something about you

**Hey Guys, I'm sorry I haven't updated this one lately. I haven't really thought much about any of my chaptered fics to tell you the truth. SORRY! Please don't throw anything at me, I will try and be back now. School is killing me. Its nothing like when I was in Junior High and could write all the time. Now its diplomas and scary thinking of the future and whatnot. Eep! Anyways, here's a little fun chapter that I know a few of you have been waiting for ^^ And if you're worried about Ruki from the last chapter, you should be ha. Its all explained here! Have fun reading! **Lawlipop In My Jeevas Mailbox **this is for you ^^. Oh, and as a heads up, there's a bit of nasty language in here ^^ Not that that is new to any of my readers who have read BFA or TRIP. Hehe.**

Ruki stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom, looking over himself. He had just gotten out of the shower, and was assessing the wounds his father had made. Bruises lining the inside of his thighs trailed up his hips to his stomach, back and shoulders. His father was careful not to leave any marks that people could see, and Ruki was careful to change in privacy when in Gym. He knew how upset his father would be with him if it ever got out to anybody that the CEO of the biggest company in the country raped his own son. Besides, Ruki didn't really want to deal with the glances and gossip of the kids at school if anyone saw. Sighing, Ruki looked away from the disapproving mirror and went to get dressed. It was Friday evening, and Ruki was getting ready for the little party he and his new friends were going to. Supposedly it was hosted by a friend of theirs that he had yet to meet. Ruki wondered why he had not met this friend yet. Had he been away? Or did he not go to their school? Did he even go to school at all? Ruki didn't really care if the guy went to school or not, lately he had wanted a taste of something dangerous, something wrong and against the rules. Anything to forget what had happened between him and his father last night.

Dressing, Ruki looked again at himself. He looked miserable. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked like he hadn't slept well in months. Sighing, Ruki started applying make up to his face in order to cover it up and make him look like he was supposed to. As he did, his thoughts travelled back to what had happened earlier today.

_Ruki walked into the cafeteria in hopes that nobody had noticed his absence. He was tired and sitting outside and moping, and just wanted to forget what had happened, at least while he could. However, as he entered the cafeteria, he immediately noticed a screaming Tora being pulled off of Aoi, whose lip was bleeding. "What the fuck did you do to him, you stupid mother fucker?" Tora screamed as he was held back from Aoi. Ruki sighed. Obviously, he just couldn't get away from the drama anywhere. Turning around, Ruki started to walk out of the cafeteria, letting Reita follow him out, despite his wish to once again be alone._

Ruki, now ready to go, walked out of his room, putting his wallet in his back pocket. "Where are you going?" he heard his father ask, but Ruki refused to answer him. He didn't need to show him respect anymore. Not when his father clearly had none for him, or the father-son bond they used to have. Now all they had was a broken bond that would never be healed. Ruki had been used for his father's filthy, selfish purposes and as far as he was concerned now, he didn't have a father.

Storming out the door, Ruki was glad to see Reita's beat up truck outside waiting for him. He really didn't know what to do if the other hadn't arrived to pick him up yet. His father could have come outside and yelled at him, or dragged him back inside. Despite the braveness he had just shown, Ruki was frightened of his father. He didn't trust the man now, and he wasn't sure what he would do if something else were to happen. Ruki smiled and got into Reita's truck, taking his hand once he had settled down in his seat. Ever since lunch, holding Reita's hand had become a comfort for him. Something that helped calm him down and boy he sure did need it now. His hands were shaking as he started to fear the repercussions of his actions towards his father.

Reita looked over at the other worriedly. Ruki's hands were shaking, and although he still blushed when the other took his hand, he was more worried about what might be the cause of the other's shakes. "Ruki, are you alright? What happened?" Reita was starting to get the sneaking suspicion that whatever happened to Ruki now was the same reason that he had been limping earlier. Looking back to the house, he didn't see anything or anybody. Was there something bad going on behind those doors? Reita surely hoped not, but his gut told him otherwise.

"It's nothing, Rei," Ruki said quietly, taking Reita's thoughts away from the house as he blushed at the nickname, but didn't say anything. He kind of liked it. He liked that Ruki had his own little nickname for him. It made him feel good, and it was one step closer to getting Ruki to like him, though it didn't seem he would need much since the shorter kept holding his hand. Reita knew that it was to help Ruki calm down, but Reita could help liking it. "Let's just go, Rei. We don't want to be late." Ruki's voice once again brought Reita from his thoughts, and the blonde nodded, starting the truck and driving off, keeping his fingers laced with the others.

~!~

As they pulled onto the street the house party was on, Ruki saw tons of cars parked along the road, and there was no mistaking the house the party was at. All lights were on, and music was blasting through the open windows and doors. Happy people were heard talking all around. Ruki could only guess what the neighbours thought of this party. Getting out of Reita's truck, he and Reita walked up to the house. Ruki looked up at the house nervously as they got close. "The other's are here?" Reita nodded and smiled and the other, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "It's your friend that's hosting it?" Ruki said, starting to sound more worried. He had never been to a big party before, or any party that had more than four people. He was afraid, but didn't he want something dangerous? Or at least something out of his comfort zone? He wanted to do something, and here was the perfect opportunity right in front of him. Reita nodded.

"Yeah, he's pretty cool," Reita said, looking over, "Are you ok with this? We don't have to go if you don't want to." Ruki shook his head quickly. He wanted this. He wanted to know the excitement of parties and drinking and having fun with no worries. Smiling, he took Reita's hand and went into the house excitedly. Looking around, Ruki smiled big. There were so many people. The house was packed. Reita smiled as it seemed the other was happy and enjoying himself. He was worried that the other would be uncomfortable at a party like this. Reita himself wasn't really a big fan, but he could have fun. It just wasn't really his sort of thing. "Do you want a drink, Ru?" Reita asked, grinning as he finally found his own little nickname for the other. He hoped the other would take it alright. Ruki didn't seem to mind, and nodded happily. Waiting by the stairwell, he smiled at the surrounding people. This looked like fun. He wondered who it was that was so popular that a good third of the school was here. Since Reita, and many people afterwards, had said that Aoi was the most popular in school, Ruki had to wonder just who was this mysterious person? And how is it that his small group of friends considered themselves friends with him? He was just going to have to wait and see!

~!~

Ruki was sitting out back with Reita, Kai and Tora. They had met up with their friends not long after they had gotten there. Now they had claimed the patio set out back and were all working on their third or fourth drinks, laughing and having a good time. "So Reita, have you seen Uru yet? Supposedly, he's around here somewhere…" Kai spoke to Reita as they chatted away. Ruki seemed uninterested in the conversation, his head swimming as the contents of the alcohol started to take effect. He had never really drunk alcohol before, so the third beer was already starting to get to him. Ignoring his friends' energetic chatter, he looked around the party curiously, though really had no good reason. As his eyes scanned over the people, they stopped on the most beautiful girl he had ever set eyes on. Ruki stared in awe. If he ever thought he could be gay, and he had in fact thought of that many times since meeting Reita, then all those thoughts flew out of his mind as soon as he saw the girl. The shoulder length, thick blond hair framed her beautiful face perfectly. Ruki swore she had the face of an angel. If Ruki could fuck anybody, right here, right now, it would be her. Licking his lips as he stared, he was shocked when Reita waved her down. Staring at his friend in shock, Ruki gasped. What the hell was he doing? The blonde girl smiled and started walk over to them. _Think, Ruki! What are you going to do? Obviously she saw you staring at her, what are you going to say? _

"Ruki, this is Uruha." Wait, what? Ruki stared at Reita. Did he just hear Reita correctly? This beautiful girl, who Ruki would throw all thoughts of homosexuality away for, was the person they were friends with? The one who was hosting this party? The _guy _who was hosting this party? Ruki stared at Reita, then Uruha, then back to Reita, and back to the blonde. "Hi," Uruha said, in what was obviously a male's voice. How could Ruki have just thought all those things about a guy? Yeah, sure, the guy was more girl-like then half the girls at this party, but still! Ruki blushed and waved to the blonde, embarrassed. Reita noticed and chuckled. "Thought Uruha here was a girl?" Ruki blushed, not sure if admitting to it would be rude towards the man he barely knew or not.

"That's ok," Uruha spoke up, smiling at them all, "Most of the world does. That's how I make a living." Ruki looked at the other confused before Kai spoke up. "Ruki, Uruha used to go to school with us, but he was withdrawn last year when he got a modeling job." Ruki nodded to show he understood, and made room for Uruha to sit next to them. _Now that he was aware that there was nothing really overly special about Uruha, he could return to thinking of Reita… _Wait, what? Where did that come from? Ruki was so confused about his thoughts and feelings right now. What was he thinking, that he was attracted to Reita? That he somehow had a secret crush on his new best friend? That just wasn't right…but yet, that was what Ruki wanted right? And he couldn't deny that he hadn't thought about it…every time he saw those muscles, something just happens to him. His stomach feels like it has butterflies and he even admits to feel a slight bit of excitement in his lower regions. Ruki smiled and rested his head on his hands and watched Reita as he talked excitedly with Uruha, sipping his drink occasionally with those perfect lips.

Just as Ruki started to get comfortable with the idea of having a secret crush on Reita, and feeling content to watch him all night, he spotted the person he least wanted to see standing by the back door of the large house. Ruki sat up straight, looking at the boy in fear. What was he doing here? Did someone invite him? The dark haired boy looked over and spotted Ruki, eyebrows raising, shocked to see him. Ruki trembled and looked away. "U-um, does anyone need another drink?" he said quickly, standing up as Aoi started to walk over to them. Everyone nodded and Ruki ran quickly away, sneaking back into the house, avoiding Aoi all together. Going to the kitchen, Ruki started filling cups with beer for his friends. Holding out the third cup for the beer, Ruki yelped as he felt arms wrap around his waist. Freezing, Ruki's eyes widened and his breathing stopped momentarily. Slowly, he turned around in the other's arms, shaking in fear already knowing who it would be. Aoi smiled down at him softly before taking his hand and leading him away from the majority of people, leading him to the upstairs living room where only a couple was sitting, making out on the couch. Ruki looked around, frightened as he was led away from the partiers. One look from Aoi, and the couple left the room. Aoi sat down and pulled Ruki down with him.

Whimpering, Ruki pulled his legs to his chest and sat as far away from the other as possible, too afraid to do much else. What did he want from him? Was he going to beat him up again? Was that the plan? Ruki's mind went off on a rant for what must have been the hundredth time, thanks to the alcohol. He knew the other was looking at him rather intensely, and it scared him. What was he thinking? What was he planning on doing? Ruki was so sure that the other was going to hurt him, that it completely caught him off guard when he felt the raven haired boy's lips on his own, his hand moving to cup his cheek. Ruki's eyes were wide, and he froze. He didn't know what to do. It didn't last long though, before Aoi moved away looking at the other, stroking his cheek. "Ruki, I'm sorry about yesterday…," Aoi spoke. Ruki was still breathless from the kiss; he couldn't do anything but nod. "I didn't want to hurt you, but Die and Toshiya wouldn't let me live it down if I didn't." Ruki looked at the other. Wait, what? Tonight was turning out to be quite the confusing night!

"W-What are you saying?" Ruki said quietly, looking at the other. Was this some sort of weird confession? One look at Aoi gave Ruki his answer. "Ruki, do you know what the school would do to me if they found out that I liked you? If they found out I liked a boy! I couldn't let them think that…" Ruki looked at him. "So…you like me?" Ruki was dumbfounded. Didn't this kid hate him only yesterday? Oh wait, he had just explained it was his friends that insisted on beating him up, not Aoi. Well then! "Yes, Ruki, I have since I first saw you." Aoi's voice was quiet, and Ruki was shocked to find, quite fragile. The raven haired boy was vunerable. Ruki could have taken advantage of this moment, and made Aoi look like a fool. He wouldn't have to worry about the boy ever bothering him again, but…he felt something towards the boy too, a realization Ruki was shocked to find out. Ruki looked at the boy. He was so confused. In just one week, he not only went from being straight to bi-curious, but he now had two possible love interests, both boys! Ruki figured, _I don't have anything to lose by trying this out with Aoi. Unless it's all a gag, in which at least I'll still have my friends. _"Ruki," Aoi turned his attention back to him, "Could we…try this?" Ruki's heart almost stopped. Did Aoi just ask if they would go out together? Like dating? "Secretly, of course…I don't want this to get out to the school." _Of course not, _Ruki thought, _that would take him from top of the ladder to in the mud at the bottom of the social ladder. _Ruki understood. And he, too, was curious and wanted to know what it was like. He had nothing better to do with his spare time, and any time away from home would be a relief. Still, Ruki hesistated. What would his friends say? They all hate Aoi. But they wouldn't know, would they, since they were planning on keeping it a secret. Ruki smiled and nodded. "Ok…," Ruki's voice was soft and fragile also, still trembling, though now with excitement, not fear. Aoi smiled happily, and before he knew it, Aoi's lips were on his again. This time, Ruki kissed back.


	5. Without Love

Ruki woke up the next morning with the biggest headache he had ever had the displeasure to have. Groaning, he buried his head into the pillows, hoping that somehow it would stop the dreadful pounding of his brain. Reita had warned Ruki that if he drank too much, he would get a bad hangover. Ruki, having been the good kid who never drank, didn't really think too much of the warning. Sure he had heard lots about how bad they were, and had seen his dad be sick the next morning as a result, but it still didn't seem too bad at the time. However, that could've been because of the alcohol already in his system. Ruki groaned again. He really didn't want to get up, but he knew he needed too. He didn't need his dad getting mad at him for sleeping in. He was already pissed off when Ruki returned at two in the morning after the party. Reita had been generous and given Ruki a ride home, having only had two drinks the whole night. Ruki was glad that he had such a good friend that he could depend on. If it wasn't for Reita, Ruki's father probably would have been madder towards him more last night. Since Ruki could barely walk straight, Reita had helped him into the house, right into his bed actually. Ruki probably would have been embarrassed that Reita had changed him and tucked him into bed, but he was far too out of it to really care.

_"Ruki, stay still so that I can get this shirt over your head!" Reita said, irritation in his voice, though he was smiling and laughing with Ruki. Ruki was rolling around, purposely avoiding the shirt despite how much Reita had been trying to get it over the shorter man's head. "Come on, Rei! What's wrong, am I too fast for you?" Snickering, Ruki didn't think as he stopped to laugh, going silent as Reita slipped the shirt over his head. "Gotcha!" Reita said, grinning triumphantly. Ruki pouted then smiled. Reita was so cute, funny, and nice to him. Ruki wondered if the other would mind if he kissed him. Wait, no he couldn't. He was with Aoi now. _

_ The whole situation just confused Ruki, and he didn't really want to think about it right now. He was so buzzed from the beers, he could hardly think straight anyways. "Thank you, Rei," Ruki said as he curled up under the blankets. Reita tucked him in and smiled. "Any time, Ru-chan," Reita said softly, kissing his forehead, making Ruki blush. Why couldn't it have been Reita that had confessed to him at the party? It wouldn't be so hard to figure out then. But no, instead Ruki had the person who he thought was his rival confessed to him and kiss him. Now he had to deal with that as well! Oh well. Ruki let his thoughts rest as he closed his eyes and let himself fall into an exhausted, drunken sleep. _

Ruki sighed as he thought about the previous night. Reita was such a great guy, Ruki almost wished that he hadn't said yes to Aoi. It wasn't as if he had feelings towards Aoi…for all Ruki knew, Aoi didn't have feelings towards him either. It was just a chance to make Ruki weak so that he could beat him down again. Ruki remembered thinking of that last night when they were talking, so why did he say yes anyways? Ruki hated the raven haired boy for making his first few days as school a living hell, yet…there was something in Ruki that believed Aoi. Something in him that felt the need to give Aoi a chance; something that felt feelings towards Aoi, he just didn't know why. Like some strange force inside him, Ruki felt as if the Aoi he had seen this past week, and the Aoi that the raven haired boy had shown him at the party were two completely different people. Ruki thought about this. The boy at the party was fragile and sweet. The person Aoi was at school was hard and mean. Ruki understood that Aoi must have worked hard to get to the top of the social ladder, but why did he have to hide who he really was? The emotions he really had. Why did he make himself so mean at school, when Ruki was sure people would like him more if he was nice?

Ruki would have liked to spend more time thinking about this, since he was starting to feel more and more towards Aoi, but at that moment his door burst open and in came his dad. Ruki's heart leapt in fear, and he bit his lip moving back until he was against the wall his bed was against. Staring at the man, Ruki was afraid what was to come. Looking at his father's face, he could only guess. Trembling in fear, he whimpered as he dad stepped closer. Trembling, he found the strength to speak up, "What do you want?" His father smirked and moved closer, almost to the edge of the bed now.

"You know very well what I want, Ruki," he said, his voice deep. Ruki noticed the bulge in the other's pants and tears sprung to his eyes. _Not again! Please, anything, just not this again! _Ruki thought. He screamed as his dad grabbed his ankles and pulled him closer. "Shut up, you stupid whore of a son!" His dad screamed as he slapped him. Ruki sobbed and continued to try and crawl away, only to be pulled back and pinned down by the man's strong arms. He cried as he looked up at the other. "You were always so weak, and you still are," his father's hateful words rang through his ears as Ruki cried. Why was this happening to him?

"Please, don't," Ruki begged. He didn't want this. Crying, he only received a slap as an answer before his dad undressed him. Ruki tried desperately to fight him off, but he was weak. Just like his dad said, and he knew it was true. Crying, he looked as his dad undid his belt and showed his aroused member. Ruki cried and tried to move away as he moved closer. His attempt failed as the man he once called father pulled his hair and forced himself into Ruki's mouth. Ruki whimpered and cried as the man forced himself down the other's throat, gasping his disgusting moans as he did. Tears continued to fall from Ruki's eyes as the man's hips moved quickly, feeling the tip of the other's length at the back of his throat. Ruki shut his eyes and tried to numb his mind, tried to get away from the horrible situation as it played out before him. Before long though, his father pulled out and pulled Ruki's hips to his own. "No, dad, please! Please, please, don't!" Ruki cried and begged loudly, desperate to get his father to stop. He didn't want to feel that horrible pain shoot up his spine again like last time. He still remembered last time vividly and he was in no hurry to repeat it again. "Please, dad, don't! I'll do anything, please!" Ruki sobbed, trying to get away, though he was no match for his father's grip. Ruki whimpered as he knew his father wasn't going to listen to him. Desperately trying to get away, Ruki screamed as he felt that familiar sharp blistering pain shoot through his body. How could he?

**A/N:**

**I know you all hate me for this. I'm sorry. **


	6. All Alone and Scared

Monday morning, Reita got up and checked his phone like normal. _No Messages. _ He showered and dressed and checked again. _No Messages. _ By the time he had finished styling his hair and attaching the strange band around his nose, he was freaking out. He hadn't heard from Ruki all weekend, and still nothing this morning, despite the other boy's promise of letting him know when to pick him up. Reita was worried that something had happened again to Ruki, and he was in trouble. Saying a quick goodbye to his parents, he grabbed his keys and hurried out the door. Reita still had the suspicion that Ruki's dad was somehow responsible for Ruki's limping last week. Since he had no real proof, or anything but his own suspicion, he couldn't exactly do anything about it.

Driving up to Ruki's house, he looked at it worriedly, hoping he'd see the short boy running out to him, a smile on his face as always. However, the longer he waited, the more he got worried. Where was he? Reita knew that it was too cold for Ruki to walk, and the bus didn't stop near his house, which was why Reita had offered him a ride in the first place. Getting out of the truck, Reita braved the slow, cautious walk to Ruki's front door, knocking hesitantly. Reita waited, about to leave as the door opened, showing a man in his late forties grimacing at him. Reita got the shivers just looking at him. Was this Ruki's dad?

"Um… Hello, sir," Reita started, nervous around the man, though he was sure he could beat him in a fight if he had to, judging by the other's body type. "Is Ruki ready to go to school?" The man looked at him, as if sizing him up. Reita shifted awkwardly on his feet and waited for his answer, after a while thinking he might not get one. "Ruki's gone," was all the man said. Reita looked at the man, surprise on his face. Gone? How? Did he leave for school already? Why hadn't Ruki mentioned that to Reita so that he wasn't waiting? Or worrying?

"S-sorry sir? Gone? Did he leave for school already?" Reita wanted more answers, but it appeared the man was not willing to answer them as he just grunted and leaned against the doorframe. "No. Just gone. No Ruki here." The man's short, somewhat unintelligent words scared Reita. Not for himself, but for Ruki. Where would he go if he was not at school? Going back to his truck, Reita was starting to get really worried. He sat in the cab of the truck and dialled the other's cell number. _The number you are trying to reach is no longer available._ Hanging up, Reita growled. "Damn!" Where could he be? Driving off, Reita hoped that he could find the other on his way to school.

~!~

Pulling into the parking lot, Reita felt hopeless. He hadn't spotted Ruki anywhere, and he had even taken the longer route that Ruki walked, in hopes of seeing the other. Walking into the school, he went in search of his friend, hoping that he was here, despite his father's words. He wasn't sure if he should believe the man anyways. He had seemed not quite right. There was definitely something off here, and Reita was really worried that it was affecting Ruki in a really negative way.

Searching the whole school, Reita still had not found any trace of Ruki. Nobody he asked had seen him since the party either. Reita had one last place to check, and that was their first class. Going in, he looked around, seeing Aoi in the corner being his usual asshole self. "Hey, no-nose!" Reita ignored the teasing the raven haired boy spit at him, as much as it bothered him and made him want to tear his eyes out. Right now he had more important things to do, like finding Ruki. He saw Kai. Unfortunately, he was seated right in front of Aoi. Reita sighed. How unfortunate for Kai. Walking past Aoi, ignoring his taunts, he kneeled beside Kai, who looked at him curiously.

"Have you seen Ruki? He's missing…," Reita asked Kai worried. Kai shook his head, but looked just as worried. Opening his mouth to speak, Kai was cut off by Aoi's voice, as quiet as it was.

"Ruki's missing?" If Reita didn't know better, he would say that Aoi sounded just about as worried as he was himself. That didn't fool Reita though, not one big. Despite Aoi being truly genuinely worried for the boy, it seemed that Reita was not in the mood to answer his question any time soon, if at all.

"What's it to you? You don't even like him!" Reita growled, glaring at the raven haired boy. What was he playing at? This whole time he didn't give a damn about Ruki, doing anything to the boy in order to impress his friends. Now, it was as if he completely disregarded his friend's openly surprised stares.

"I..um…I mean," Aoi blushed and just stopped the conversation. He was now really worried about Ruki, but what could he do? He friends wouldn't let him leave without them coming with him. He couldn't have that. He couldn't have the whole school know his true feelings towards the boy. Aoi almost didn't care anymore, but if it got out, and Aoi did manage to find him, they would both come back to beatings and harassment. It wasn't worth ruining it all to find Ruki, when he wasn't even sure that his beau was even missing.

"Whatever. I'm going to look for him. Are you coming, Kai?" Kai nodded and stood up. Together they left the building. Reita was glad that his friend came along to help him. He had no idea where Ruki would be, or how they were going to find him. Driving around, they called out for Ruki, hoping that their friend would hear them. However, they found nothing. They drove around the school area and around his house half a dozen times before they heard Reita's phone ring. Quickly, Reita answered it, hoping to God that it would be Ruki. For the first time today, something finally went right.

"Hello?"

"R-Reita?"

"Ruki?"

"Reita…I…I don't know where I am," Ruki's voice sounded as if he was on the verge of tears, if not crying already.

"It's ok Ruki. I'm coming for you. Kai and I are looking. What are you near? Can you tell me?" Reita was overjoyed to finally hear the other's voice, but still worried as the other sounded sick and weak. He had no idea how long the other had been gone, but he had a bad feeling that Ruki had been out on his own all weekend.

"U-um….it's a dark street…w-with a bunch of run down shops…" Ruki's voice was trembling.

"Is there anything else?"

"U-um…there's an e-empty lot…w-with old carnival rides in it….it's really creepy…" Reita gasped as he recognized the place that Ruki was mentioning. That was way at the other end of town, in an abandoned part no less! What was Ruki doing down there?

"Alright, Ruki. I know where you are. We'll be right there."

"Ok, Rei…p-please hurry…" Ruki was definitely in tears now. _Please deposit twenty five cents to continue call. _

"Ruki, where's your cell phone?"

"My dad smashed it before I left," Ruki said, sniffling. Well that explained a lot. So Reita's suspicions were correct. Ruki's dad definitely had something to do with this.

"Ok hun…you just wait there..I'll come find you," Reita said, hanging up. He didn't realize what he had called the other, but he didn't really care. Right now, all he needed to do was find Ruki and bring him back to safety.


	7. The Ferris Wheel

It had been almost an hour since Reita and Kai had left, and Aoi had not moved his gaze from the clock since. His friends were curious, but said nothing. He didn't stop to think of what might be going on in their minds, what they might be thinking. He was worried. If Ruki was truly missing, he could be anywhere. It was a big enough city, and Ruki didn't know it very well. He hadn't heard from him since the party, but he hadn't made a point of talking to him either. He had gotten the other's cell number the night of the party before the other went back to his friends, but he hadn't gotten a text message from him since the morning after, and even that wasn't much. A simple, _Hey. _Aoi had responded casually with a, _Good Morning :). _Ruki hadn't responded after that, which Aoi found strange. Why would he have texted him first if he were to not respond? Aoi had gotten pretty busy the rest of the weekend, and hadn't had time to text him again, but there never was a response from Ruki. Now Aoi could do nothing but sit there, staring at the clock and tapping his pen anxiously, waiting for the class to end.

As soon as the bell rang, Aoi had his bag in his hand and hurried out the door. He had to get somewhere private before his friends seen, so he hurried to his car and drove off. Parking a few blocks away, he took a breath. What was he going to do? It was becoming obvious that Ruki was indeed missing. He was worried about his little beau. He found Ruki's number in his phone and quickly called him. _The number you are trying to reach is no longer available. _What the hell? His phone is disconnected? Aoi pulled the phone away from his ear, confused. There was no reason for Ruki's phone to be disconnected. Sighing, Aoi started driving around. He had to find him.

He decided to start on the other end of town. If Ruki was lost, he would be in a place he knew nothing about, so it was pointless to look near the area they all lived in. Driving around, Aoi seen the old carnival set and shivered. When he was young, he had run away from home. Like every other little boy, he had dreams of running away to the circus, and he had come here. He had climbed to the very top of the Ferris wheel, and was so afraid of the height that he couldn't climb down. He was stuck up there for two days before his parents found him, and called the fire department down to get him. Aoi has always been afraid of heights, and it's most likely because of that experience. Driving up, he seen a car parked out front. _That's weird. Nobody comes down here anymore_.

~!~

Ruki waited by the phone booth for forty minutes after talking to Reita. Had he travelled that far away? He really hoped that they would get here soon though, it was really creepy. The old amusement park rides were really scaring him. Looking up as he heard a car, he was excited for a moment thinking it was Reita, but frowned as he seen it was his father. The car parked, and Ruki stood up, fearful of what was to happen. He hadn't seen his father since he ran away Saturday morning.

_He lay on the bed, trembling in pain as he father stood up, dressing once again. He couldn't even look at him; he couldn't even move. His mind had gone blank as he tried to block it all out, but it was no use. Even in his blank state of mind he still felt every last minute of it. He felt disgusted with himself for letting it happen again, but no matter how hard he tried to fight the other off, he was always stronger. Always. This time was even worse. He had cuts and bruises all over his body, and his sheets were covered in blood from the rude entrance earlier. He felt so weak, used; disgusting. He heard his bedroom door close softly, and the heavy footsteps moving away from him, but Ruki couldn't get himself to move. What was he supposed to do even if he did move? He didn't have school, Reita was working, and there was no way he was involving Aoi in this when he didn't even know exactly what his intentions were. There was no where he could go…but he desperately wanted to get away from here. There was nothing he wanted more. But where would he go? He couldn't bother Reita at his work. He had no idea where any of his other friends lived. To be honest, once he started thinking about Reita as a crush, his attention towards the rest of the group had dwindled slightly. He stopped thinking suddenly, and slowly got up. He didn't care where he was going but he had to get out of there. He slowly moved around the room, dressing painfully as the cuts stung. They were already starting to bleed through his shirt, but there was nothing he could do about it. Putting a sweater over the shirt and pulling on a pair of pants, he slowly and painfully made his way out the door, careful to remember to bring his phone. _

_ Walking out into the hallway, he was stopped by his father. Trembling in fear, Ruki instinctively stepped back. The overpowering scent of sex still present on both of them was sickening and he needed to get out of there. He tried to move past his father, not saying a word and trembling hard. He felt a strong hand grab his shoulder pushing him back hard. Pain raced through his shoulder as it cracked. Crying out, Ruki looked up at his father fearfully. In the five years they've lived together since his mom died, not once had he broken a single bone in his body; too many questions asked was always the excuse. "Where do you think you're going?" he father's voice hit him like knives. His body was trembling badly, he was so afraid. He didn't know what to say, but he had to say something. He wasn't getting out of here unless he did. He was tired of being weak. It was time he stood up for himself. "I'm leaving…and I'm not coming back…,"he said quietly, looking up at him fearfully. His father looked furious, grabbing him by the shirt. "What did you just say?" Ruki cried and tried to get away, his phone falling out of his pocket, but he didn't notice. Getting thrown to the ground, he groaned in pain. "Fine, leave then! You ungrateful, spoiled brat! But you're not getting another dime from me!" Ruki stared in horror as he smashed his cell phone on the ground in front of him. His eyes wide in horror at the anger his father had, Ruki stood quickly despite the pain and ran from the house. _

Ruki looked up as he father started to walk over to him, obviously fuming. He ran quickly, hoping to get away from him before he could hurt him more. He was still in a lot of pain, and it hurt with every step he took, but he kept going. He screamed as his father grabbed his shirt, and pulled him back. "NO! GET OFF ME!" he screamed, managing to pull away. He ran, hiding behind the Ferris wheel, but seen his father following behind quickly. Looking around, he whimpered. There was nowhere he could go. Either way he was trapped. Trembling, he took the only option and started climbing the old ride. The rust cut his hand and he had to bite his lip to hold back a whimper. Reaching the top, he fell into the seat, holding on tightly as it rocked, squeaking with each movement. Looking over the edge, he saw his father standing at the bottom. The man laughed, "Be that way, boy. Stays up there the rest of your life, you'll never make it down!" Ruki watched as his father laughed and walked away. Looking back to the car, he saw another pull up. This one was completely unfamiliar, but nobody except Reita and Kai was supposed to be here.

~!~

When Aoi pulled up to the amusement park, he saw a man in his forties storming angrily from the lot, yet laughing as he did. It was an odd sight to see, and he was very confused by it. Ignoring the strange sight as the man drove off, Aoi got out of his car curiously. Why would the man be here? Walking into the park, he felt a shiver down his spine. It was odd being back here after so many years. It almost made him smile as he thought back to the silly memory. Everything looked as it had back then, except for the footprints on the ground. _They must be from the man, _he thought. Looking closer though, he noticed that there were two tracks of footprints going in, and only one going out. Frowning, Aoi looked at it curiously. _That's strange. _ Aoi smiled as he looked up at the Ferris wheel. It had been almost fourteen years since he been here last. Admiring the old structure in remembrance he frowned when noticing one of the carts swinging slightly.

Ruki was sitting in the top cart, swinging it gently. He had given up trying to get down as it was too steep and scary, and the gentle swinging was the only thing keeping him calm right now. He was shaking at the cold, but he refused to move. He would rather stay up here and freeze to death than to die falling. Ruki opened his eyes as he heard somebody walking around. Peeking over the edge, he gasped as he saw who it was. "Aoi!" he called, looking at him thankfully. He really hoped that the other would be able to get him down from here. He was strong and brave! There should be no problem!

Aoi looked up and frowned. Was that Ruki up there, exactly where he had been fourteen years ago. "Ruki? What are you doing up there?" he called up, instantly worried for the other. How was the other going to get down? He looked up at the structure. It had always been easy to climb up, but it was so high that climbing down seemed nearly impossible.

"Aoi! I climbed up here to get away from my dad, and now I'm stuck! Please, help me!" Ruki cried, sounding very distressed. Aoi licked his lips in thought, trying to figure out the best way to get him down. "Please, Aoi…I'm scared," Ruki voice began to break as he started crying. He really was scared. Aoi bit his lip. The only way to even try and get him down would be to climb up there himself. "Please, Aoi…hurry!" Ruki's constant pleas for help convinced him, and despite his horrible fear of heights, Aoi slowly made his way to the top.

Once reaching the cart, Aoi smiled at the crying Ruki stroking his cheek. "Hey…hey calm down, ok? I'm here now, you're going to be ok…," Aoi tried his best to calm the other, and it seemed to be working. Smiling slightly despite his heart going a million miles a minute, he helped Ruki out of the cart, holding onto him tightly and slowly guiding him as they climbed back down together. Aoi tried not to focus on how far away the ground was, and kept his focus on the other, carefully guiding him through each step. They were doing great, when suddenly Ruki missed his step slipping from the thin metal bar. Aoi held onto his hand tightly, eyes wide as Ruki screamed in fear. He was staring right down now, and could tell how high they were still, but he had to hold onto Ruki, or else his little beau would die.

~!~

"Is this it, Reita?" Kai said, looking at the upcoming lot. Reita nodded and frowned as he seen the car, recognizing it instantly. "Is that Aoi's car…?" Kai said, looking over at Reita. Reita frowned and nodded. _What was he doing here? _Reita frowned and parked in front of the car, looking around for any signs of Ruki.

"Do you see him anywhere, Kai?" Reita asked as he got out of the truck. Kai shook his head, "No, I don't see him anywhere… you don't think he would've gone into there…would you?" Kai asked, looking into the abandoned lot. Reita shook his head. It's really dark in there; he would've gotten too spooked out. _"_No, I don't think so, Kai." They walked down the street a bit more until they heard Ruki's scream. Reita's eyes widened and he ran back towards the lot quickly, eyes widening in horror as he saw Ruki hanging from the Ferris wheel. Rushing over quickly, Reita stared up. "Ruki!"

Reita watched as Aoi held onto Ruki's hand. "Hold on, Ruki!" Aoi yelled, almost as freaked out as Ruki was. Slowly, Aoi managed to help Ruki get his footing again, holding him close. "It's ok, Ruki….It's ok, I got you…," he said as he rubbed his back. Reita watched this, confused by the affection Aoi was showing towards Ruki. Looking at Kai, it was obvious that he was just as confused.

They watched as Aoi brought the two of them safely to the ground. Ruki was still holding onto Aoi tightly, shaking in fear, refusing to let go. Reita went over and hugged Ruki tightly. "Oh my god…you're alright…oh, thank god you're alright." Aoi watched them, frowning at how Reita just stole Ruki from his hold, but said nothing. It was a long day, and he would allow anything to happen right now, as long as it calmed his beau down.


	8. Loose lips sink ships

They were sitting on the curb outside of the lot watching Ruki. Since the incident he had not spoken one word, and refused to calm completely. He was still shaking badly, and wouldn't let anybody but Aoi touch him. Of course, this pissed Reita off to no end. There was little the blonde could do except stand there watching him, or pacing, whichever suited his mood better. At the moment, he was currently leaning up against his truck, glaring at Aoi. What was he doing here anyways? Aoi hated Ruki, and Reita had assumed that Ruki hated Aoi as well. It was Aoi and his gang that beat Ruki up the first few days he had arrived here, so why the sudden change of heart? Reita didn't trust Aoi one bit, and he was determined to figure out what was going on. What was Aoi planning? He attention turned to Ruki as he slowly moved his blank stare to look at the others as if just realizing they were there.

"Ruki? Are you alright?" Aoi's voice was soft as he spoke, speaking so just Ruki could hear him. The small blonde just nodded, and looked to Aoi. He was thankful that his new secret boyfriend had saved him, but he was put in a place now that he had to explain everything that had happened since the party, and he was not in the mood to do so. It was so stressful, and Ruki just really didn't want to deal with any more stress right now. His body ached, and his shoulder was still burning with pain. It had become very painful to even move it, but Aoi hadn't seemed to notice this as he held him tightly, squishing his hurt shoulder into the other's hard chest. They had been sitting on the curb for nearly an hour, trying to figure out exactly what they were doing. Ruki had stayed silent the whole time, thinking about what HE was going to do now that he was saved. He couldn't ask Reita or Kai for a place to stay, he still didn't know them very well, despite the obvious loyalty they had already showed him. Besides, it would not be fair to ask any more of them. And he wasn't sure if he would be comfortable staying with Aoi, let alone asking him. This was only the second time he had seen the raven haired boy since the party, and he was still very confused about the whole situation. Ruki was still grateful that the boy had saved him, and his sincerity through the whole thing was amazing, but living with the boy who had beat him up for no reason didn't seem quite right.

"Ruki?" Reita's voice broke through Ruki's train of thought, and he looked up at his new best friend. There would be a lot of explaining to his friend why he was pressed up against their supposed enemy, the rudest boy in school. He refused to say anything on the matter right now, or anytime soon for that matter. Why should he have to explain anything? Sure, they had warned him how horrible the raven haired boy was to everybody, but somehow that didn't seem to Ruki what the boy was truly like. In only two meetings, Aoi had shown Ruki how sweet and caring he could actually be. "Ruki? Can you hear me?" Ruki nodded silently and looked back to Reita. "Ruki, what happened?" Looking down, Ruki sighed. He supposed he could at least explain how all of this had come to be, since they were all involved, and he had worried them quite a deal.

"My dad got very angry at the fact I had come home drunk at two in the morning, and he hit me…I ran away I was so scared," Ruki lied. Well he couldn't tell them what his father had really done. He was afraid. No one could find out about that. "He came back to reason with me, but I wouldn't listen, and I climbed up the ride to get away from him. I was just being stubborn." Ruki looked down as he spoke, tears welling up in his eyes. He was sure it was obvious that this was not really what happened, but luckily his friends didn't pressure him any further about what really happened. Aoi on the other hand, looked about ready to question the reality of what Ruki was telling them.

"Aoi, leave it." Surprisingly, Kai's voice spoke up first in the silence, making Aoi shut his mouth and stare at Kai. No one had ever told him what to do before, and what made the usually quiet boy think this situation would be any different. Surely the gentle actions he had towards Ruki would cause some questions to come up later, but certainly it would not make the boy question the superiority he had over the others. That did make Aoi think though. If he came out publically about dating Ruki, the school wouldn't question him anyways. A few of his friends were gay, and the school seemed open enough too it. Either that or they were just too scared to say anything about it. So why would he hide this? Did he have something to fear from the school finding out? Aoi didn't stop to think if Ruki would mind him telling the whole school.

"So where are you going to stay, Ru?" Reita asked quietly, thinking hard, hoping that the other wouldn't say he was going back home. Ruki was quiet. The question had been asked. He hadn't decided who he would ask yet. He didn't have much money but he might be able to afford a couple nights at a motel until he found somewhere to go, and if worse came to worse he would just have to go back home. He knew it was horrible, but there really was no other way. He couldn't be homeless and still go to school. At school, Aoi was still his enemy as far as anyone was aware of, and the fact that he would be homeless would start to show and he could only imagine the horror that would become of that.

"I'll probably stay at a motel for a few nights," he explained quietly, "I don't have much money so I can't afford to stay for more than that… After that I guess I'll find somewhere to stay, or just go home and deal with the consequences." He didn't look at any of them, but he could hear the gasps and feel the stares. It was dangerous to go back home, they knew it, but they didn't know the extent to which it was dangerous. They didn't know what was really going on behind those doors, and how afraid Ruki was to go back to I, but there was really little that he could do.

"Ruki, you can't go back there if he hit you!" Aoi spoke up first, looking at Ruki wide eyed. It was nuts to even consider going back into an abusive home. Ruki could get seriously injured! He bit his lip. He knew that the other couldn't afford to stay at the motel for more than a few days, and considering that his parents really didn't care what Aoi did anymore, he figured it shouldn't be an issue if Ruki came to stay with him. "Come stay with me," Aoi said suddenly, making the others stare at him. Reita glared. "My house is plenty big enough, and my parents would be fine with it. I could give you a ride to school every day." Ruki looked up at Aoi, shocked. It was quite the offer, and Ruki wasn't in the position to be refusing a place to stay, but he was still very cautious about what the others intentions were in this relationship. Why would he want him to stay with him so badly? Sure there was the possibility that he really did care for Ruki, and that he wanted to make sure he was safe, but then what about the offer of a ride to school each day? Wouldn't that interfere with the deal of keeping their relationship a secret? Ruki truly didn't know what to say to Aoi, and so he just sat there, staring disbelieving at the raven haired man.

"Okay, I've had about enough of this. What's the deal with you two anyways?" Reita's annoyed and frustrated voice broke the intense stare that the two had. Aoi and Ruki both looked over to the pair of friends. How were they to explain it? Ruki had no problem telling his friends. In fact, now that the whole deal seemed to be so open around his friends, he would hate it more if they lied to them, and said that there was nothing, and especially since it was pretty obvious that there was definitely something going on. Ruki looked at Aoi. At this point, he really didn't want to upset Aoi by telling his friends, not when a place to stay was at risk. It was all up to Aoi whether or not he told them. Reita frowned, and glared at them. "Well? Can you please explain to me why two former enemies are all of a sudden all lovey-dovey?" Ruki's eyes opened at the almost forceful tone his best friend was using. He was even more shocked when Aoi wrapped his arm around him.

"We're together, Reita. Did nobody tell you?" Aoi smirked. Despite his soft demeanor towards Ruki, his regular attitude towards everyone else continued. And he really just generally did not like Reita. There was something weird going on with him towards Ruki. He had a strong feeling that the other was a threat to his new relationship, and he couldn't have that. So what else could he do but to try and break Ruki away from his friends? All they were going to was try and break them up, and they already needed to be put back in their place for how they were speaking to him this whole day. The look on Reita's face now was priceless. He seemed so pained to hear that his best friend was with his worst enemy. Oh, the poor boy probably had a crush on his Ruki-san. Well, that's just too bad. Aoi smirked, seeming pretty happy with the reaction Reita had, but when he looked at Ruki and saw how distressed Ruki was by the reaction he frowned. He did not want to upset his new beau. Aoi wanted to make up for it, and quickly tightened his hold on the other's shoulders in the form of a hug, kissing his forehead lovingly, eyes widening in surprise as Ruki screamed in pain. Pulling away quickly to stop whatever was hurting him, he looked at Ruki worriedly. "Are you alright, Ruki?" Ruki was holding his shoulder, and both Aoi and Kai went to him worriedly, asking him what had happened. Reita, however, stayed where he was just staring at Ruki, hurt in his eyes. Ruki was looking back at him, still holding his aching shoulder, ignoring the questions the other two were giving him.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us! I can't believe you didn't tell me…," Reita said, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. He felt so betrayed that his best friend would go behind his back and date the person his whole group of friends had warned him about. It hurt him even more, because he was sure that Ruki had felt something for him, and Reita had most definitely felt something for Ruki. Now, all of a sudden Ruki was dating the biggest jerk in the school? Was every little touch and every quiet conversation just to lead him on so this would hurt more? He couldn't believe that Ruki would do this to him. He thought they were actually going somewhere, but that thought seemed so stupid now. Of course Ruki wouldn't want him. Aoi WAS better looking. Reita wasn't, or at least not in his opinion. Looking away from Ruki, he sighed and got into his truck, driving away, leaving all three of them staring at him as he left. He ignored them all. He just couldn't stand being around them anymore. He didn't want to see Aoi kiss Ruki's forehead again. That was supposed to be him. He cared about Ruki, and he wasn't sure that Aoi did. That whole saving Ruki from the Ferris wheel had to have been some sort of plot, and he was determined to figure out what it was before Aoi had a chance to hurt Ruki.

~!~

After dropping Kai off at home, Aoi slowly drove to his house, looking over at Ruki. He bit his lip, not sure what to say. After Reita had driven off, Ruki had broken down, not knowing what to do, but figuring he had just lost his best friend. Aoi felt bad for what he did, but Ruki didn't blame him. Reita would have reacted that way no matter who told him; no matter which way he was told. Ruki just wished that it didn't have to be this way. Eventually, he calmed down enough to stop crying, but he still refused to tell the two what was wrong with his shoulder. Really he didn't know, but he didn't want to say that it was because of his father. He didn't want anything else making his friends feel sorry for him. He didn't want that. He didn't want his friends to treat him differently. Aoi opened the door to his house, and let Ruki enter first.

"Make yourself at home, Ruki," he said before looking around for his parents. Aoi was one of the richest kids at school, next to Uruha, but he didn't even go to school anymore. His father was a doctor and his mom a politician, so he never really seen either of them most of the time. Luckily, his father was home today, and he found him in his office. "Dad, I have a friend staying over for a bit," he said plainly, his father responding with a small noise, seeming quite indifferent. "There's something wrong with his shoulder though, and he refusing to tell me what. Could you look at it, please?" His father looked at him and nodded. Aoi knew he would never pass up an opportunity to use his skills. He was way too stuck up about them for that. Aoi walked out to find Ruki sleeping on the couch. He smiled at him stroking his hair softly. His father would have a look while he was sleeping. He just couldn't wake such a beautiful person when he looked so peaceful.


	9. Cologne

Ruki awoke the next morning in a large bed sitting in the middle of a luxurious room. It was obviously Aoi's room because of the clothes he seen in the open closet. As Ruki slowly walked around, he looked at the little things Aoi kept in his room, pictures, colognes, and other little knickknacks. Running his fingers lightly over the collection of colognes on the dresser, he picked up the half empty bottle in the middle and sniffed. Ruki smiled as he recognized the scent as the one Aoi wore each day to school. Setting the bottle back down gently, he walked over to the closet. Ruki knew that he wouldn't be able to return home for his clothes, but it didn't seem possible that any of Aoi's clothes would fit him well enough to go to school.

The closet was huge; a walk in closet with clothes hanging on either side. At the end of the closet there was an open door leading to a large, luxurious bathroom. Ruki looked through the clothes to find something that would fit him. After searching through the entire closet, he managed to find a shirt and sweater that didn't fit him too badly though the sweater was a bit baggy on him. Jeans on the other hand were another story. While Aoi was in no way big-waisted, Ruki's slim frame made it impossible for him to fit into any of the raven's jeans. He found one pair that must have shrunk in the wash that was only a little too big. After a belt and around the waist and rolling the legs up a bit in order for them to fit, Ruki looked at his reflection and groaned. He looked horrible and the sling Aoi's father had him wear did not help.

_Ruki sat on the couch after being accidently awoken by Aoi as the taller had been stroking his hair. Ruki didn't mind that much, and even smiled a bit until he saw his boyfriend's father approaching. Sitting up tiredly, Ruki yawned. He was exhausted and not sure if he was up to being introduced, but it quickly became obvious that that was not the reason he was here. He turned to Aoi, wide-eyed and fearful. He couldn't help but be afraid of any father figure. It just reminded him too much of what used to be home._

_ "It's alright, Ruki. He's a doctor. He's going to look at your shoulder," Aoi spoke comfortingly, sitting beside him. Ruki looked fearfully at Aoi's father and moved closer to Aoi. He didn't want this man he didn't even know touching him, even if it is just his shoulder. He leaned against Aoi, holding on to his shirt and hiding his face. He may not trust Aoi, after all, this still was only their second meeting, be he had no problem trusting Aoi when a strange man was so close. "Ruki, it's alright. I promise, okay?" Aoi said, wrapping his arm around the other's waist. "You'll need to take your shirt off so he can see."_

_ "No, no, no…," Ruki said into the other's chest, shaking his head. Aoi rubbed his back gently, and tilted his head up._

_ "Please, Ruki?" Ruki sniffled and looked at Aoi. He seemed genuinely sincere, and maybe if Aoi was right here, then he would be alright. Aoi could protect him. Nodding slowly, Ruki pulled his shirt over his head, crying out in pain as he moved his shoulder. Aoi watched sadly, and held his hand comfortingly._

_ Ruki stayed close to Aoi as the doctor checked out his shoulder. He was actually surprised and impressed by how sympathetic Aoi was being. Ruki hadn't expected the other to be so gentle and sweet; and he didn't even know what really happened._

_ "It's just dislocated. I'll have to reset it," the doctor said, looking at Ruki for the go=ahead. Looking nervously at Aoi, Ruki bit his lip, frightened by the thought of how much it would hurt. Aoi smiled reassuringly and nodded. Ruki whimpered and nodded to the doctor, crying out as he reset his shoulder. Grasping tighter to Aoi, he whimpered in pain. Aoi held him close, stroking his hair, careful of what he did in front of his dad. Now was not the time to explain he had a boyfriend. Once his father put the sling on Ruki to help his shoulder heal, Aoi took him to his room, and helped him to bed. Ruki already half asleep. _

Ruki's thoughts of the previous night were interrupted as the door opened and Aoi walked in, smiling as he saw the other but couldn't help chuckling at the sight of Ruki in the oversized clothes. Seeing the pout on Ruki's face made Aoi's chuckles instantly stop. Going over to him, he hugged him close, careful not to hurt his arm. Looking into the mirror at the other, he smiled.

"You look fine, and after school I promise we'll go shopping to get you some clothes that actually fit. Does that sound alright?" Aoi said cheerfully, kissing his cheek before walking to the dresser, spraying on a bit of cologne. Ruki smiled. He was beginning to really like this new, different Aoi. Maybe if he was lucky, Aoi would stay this way. Of course, nothing ever goes the way Ruki wants it to. It's as if fate loved to torture him, slowly and painfully.


	10. Double Edge

Ruki watched through the dark-tinted windows of Aoi's car as they drove up to the school. He knew they couldn't see him through the window, but he was still feeling like the entire world was focusing on him. He was nervous, despite Aoi's constant reassuring that no one would stare, and if they did, he would make sure that they never would again. While this didn't comfort him much, he went quiet and tried not to worry so much. As they pulled into the student parking lot, he looked apprehensive, seeing all the people.

"Are you ready, Ruki?" Aoi asked, taking his hand. Looking over at the raven-haired boy, Ruki sighed and nodded. There was no use delaying it, it would only make things worse. He let the other get out of the car first, watching everybody's expression change to surprise as Aoi opened his door for him. Getting out of the car, he looked up at Aoi.

"Everybody is staring at us, Aoi."

"Just don't let it bother you. Ignore them. Don't even worry about what they're thinking."

"But they're _staring _at us!"

Aoi sighed, and wrapped an arm around the other, walking through the crowd and into the school. He ignored the stares of the people, glaring at any that dared whisper to their neighbor. That would shut them up, but not for long. He knew as soon as they were out of sight the gossip would continue. He just didn't care, as long as Ruki didn't hear anything that upset him.

Keeping Ruki by his side protectively, Aoi walked over to his friends, greeting them as if nothing had changed. He felt Ruki tense beside him, and gently kissed his cheek, a silent reassurance. He noticed his friend's eyes widen, but did not react to it. They would get over it soon enough. Ruki calmed down a bit but was shocked at the other's openness in front of his friends. Ruki was scared of Aoi's friends, and with good reason. According to Aoi, Die and Toshiya had been the ones that caused the beating Ruki endured during his first week at school, one he was not likely to forget anytime soon. He knew his friends would warn him about believing Aoi so blindly, but after spending some time with the raven he had no problem believing him. Even so, as they approached the two bullies there didn't seem to be any signs of the same thing happening again. Besides, Ruki felt safe with Aoi protecting him, his arm almost like a protective shield.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Aoi said, breaking the awkward silence as they walked up to his two friends. He could tell they were more than a little apprehensive about what they were seeing, but he knew they would blow it off soon enough. They didn't care much about what Aoi did, as long as they remained at the top of the pack, next to Aoi of course. They cared more about power then they did for each other as friends. Aoi remembered when he himself had been like that, right up until he decided that he wanted to be with Ruki. He knew that the shorter boy had a lot of morals and so he wanted to be a better person. Of course, he couldn't show that on the outside. He had to remain the strong, dominant man the school believed him to be, or else he would lose his power and everything he had worked for before Ruki would come crashing down. Besides, what if things didn't work out with Ruki? If his power was gone because of the short boy, and they broke up, Aoi would have nothing!

~!~

Ruki stayed with Aoi as him and his friends chatted, though he was being kept out of every conversation as if he didn't even exist despite Aoi's arm remaining around his waist. He wasn't sure what to think of it. It wasn't as if he really wanted to be in the conversation. It wasn't his friends, or even somebody he liked or trusted. But the fact that Aoi was ignoring him completely was a bit unsettling. He feared that the Aoi he was starting to really like was only going to show himself when others weren't around. But did he really expect any less? That was what they had originally agreed to was to not tell others. That pretty much said right there that the Aoi he was going to be around would be kept a secret. He shouldn't be upset about something he already knew about. And yet he was. He was worried that he was only a trophy boyfriend, but what could he do about it even if he was? Right now, Aoi's was the only place he could stay, and he really didn't want to give that up. Besides, if Aoi was nice to him at home, then that would have to be good enough for him.

~!~

Once Ruki and Aoi had made their way to class, along with Die and Toshiya, Ruki went and sat at his usual spot beside Reita. He wasn't sure where he and Reita stood right now as the last time he had seen his best friend was when he drove away in an angry fit once Aoi had told him that he was dating Ruki. He really hoped that his friendship with the other wasn't ruined, but it wasn't looking good. Reita hadn't even looked his way or even said a good morning since he arrived. It was odd since Ruki and Reita would take any chance they could in class to talk. However now it seemed like Reita was completely ignoring him.

Once the teacher had assigned the work, and given them a bit of work time, Ruki looked over to Reita, smiling a bit. They always worked together. Mostly because Ruki had no idea what he was doing when it came to numbers. It just confused him, and made his head hurt. Somehow Reita had been able to explain it to him, and it even made sense with the way he explained it. Ruki frowned though, disappointed as it seemed Reita was still ignoring him, working ahead on the worksheet himself. He looked back at Aoi, but saw his boyfriend talking with his friends, the worksheet not even touched. He knew to not even bother going over there; he would just be ignored again. Pouting, Ruki felt helpless, and pushed the worksheet away, resting his head on the desk.

_Ruki was running down a dark alleyway, running from something he wasn't sure of, but he knew he was scared as hell. His legs were killing him, the running exhausting and his adrenaline at its end. His whole body ached. As he kept running, he looked over his shoulder and saw what he was running from. His eyes widened. He knew what he saw, but it didn't make any sense. Ruki slowed down, and turned to watch as Reita ran to catch up to him. Why was he running from Reita? He was his best friend! Ruki smiled, feeling himself relax and waited for his friend to catch up to him, his body ready to collapse from the energy he wasted running from the other. _

_ Ruki watched happily as his friend got closer, but as the blonde came up to him his smile turned to a frown. He saw the shiny metal object in the other's hand, and instantly his fears were reignited. He looked up at the other, eyes wide in horror. What was his friend doing? Ruki tried to back away in horror, but he still felt the sharp stab of the knife into his chest. He cried out, but no sound reached his ears as he fell to the ground. Looking up at Reita as he stepped over him, he heard the other speak. "For breaking my heart, I broke yours." Ruki's eyes looked at his best friend, tears falling as the pain rushed through his body. He heard the blonde laugh and raises his foot to kick him, before he felt the sharp blow to his face._

Ruki awoke with a start as Aoi slapped his face gently. Looking up at the other, he saw his boyfriend looking at him worriedly. Had he been sleeping that whole time? Was the scary "reality", not really a reality at all? Looking over, he saw that the rest of the class had left, and seeing the time on the clock, realized that the bell had rung. Looking back to his boyfriend, he saw the worry still in the boy's eyes. That was strange.

"Ruki, are you alright? You looked like you were in pain…," Aoi said, helping him out of the chair slowly. Ruki shook his head, but leaned into the other as they walked to their next class. _What did it mean?_


	11. New Confidence

It was lunch time, and Ruki was still shaken up by his dream. He didn't know what it meant, but it couldn't be anything good. Aoi had comforted him on the way to his next class, but now they were sitting with Die and Toshiya and Aoi seemed to not even care if Ruki was feeling any better. In fact, he seemed more preoccupied with the poor freshman walking down the hallway towards them. Ruki watched the three quietly, eyes widening as Aoi tripped the boy, making him fall to the ground. He stared at Aoi as the raven yelled at the frightened boy. He couldn't believe the way the other was acting. Was staying at the top really this important to him? The whole thing made Ruki sick.

Getting up, he walked away from the group without a word. They didn't deserve an explanation. Ruki was so upset by how Aoi was acting, but he knew there was nothing he could do to change Aoi. To try would only bring out even worse situations, and right now all Ruki wanted to do was sit with his friends, and pretend like his life was average and uncomplicated. Seeing his friends sitting at their usual table made Ruki smile, and he quickly walked over to them. The first to see Ruki was Kai, and he quickly got up and went over to his friend. Ruki smiled and hugged his friend, surprised when the other didn't return it. Pulling away, he looked at Kai, confused as he saw all his friends watching him coldly.

"Kai? What's going on?" Ruki trembled as he watched them, confused.

"Ruki, I think you'd better leave now," Kai said quietly, looking at him, no emotion on his face. Ruki looked almost heartbroken. Looking between Kai and the others, his expression was one of confusion and hurt.

"They guys aren't very happy about you going behind their backs and dating someone you know we hate, and to be honest Ruki, neither am I! Look, I don't want to be rude, but you should really just go. They don't want you here," Kai said, stepping away from him, before heading back to the table. Ruki's eyes were watering. What had just happened? Now his friends had all abandoned him, too? Ruki felt so helpless. He couldn't leave Aoi; he wasn't sure he wanted to. But the thought of losing his friends over this brought tears to his eyes as he ran from the cafeteria.

Tears streaming down his cheeks, Ruki ran past Aoi, Die and Toshiya, out the door and into the back field. Today had been yet another horrible day added to his already bad week. He sat on the grass, his head in his hands. There had to be some way to fix this. _And what of the dream? _What had that dream been trying to tell him? Could what Reita said in his dream have anything to do with what just happened? Ruki was startled out of his thoughts when he felt strong arms around him, hugging him. Looking up at Aoi, he didn't know what to do, so he just gave in and cried into the other's chest.

~!~

Aoi brought Ruki back in once he managed to calm the shorter boy. He may have known Die and Toshiya were all about power, but he also knew they would do anything he told them to do. So when he said, 'treat Ruki like you would treat me. He is now my equal', he knew they would do so.

When the bell rang, he walked Ruki to class, holding his hand as they leaned against the wall by the door. Ruki was still very upset, and Aoi wanted nothing more than to be able to make the boy smile again. Kissing him softly, he leaned into the wall, keeping Ruki between the wall and himself. Sighing as he pulled away, he stroked Ruki's cheek.

"Try and stay positive," he said, smiling and squeezing his hand reassuringly. "Meet me at the car after school, and we'll go shopping. Does that sound alright?" he said, watching Ruki to make sure he heard him. Ruki sighed and nodded. "Alright love, go to class and I'll see you after school." Aoi watched Ruki take his seat before going to his car. He had a free period before the last class and he figured he could buy the other something nice and hopefully get the other to smile. He just wanted the other to smile.

~!~

Ruki walked through the hallways after school, keeping his head low, careful not to cause anymore unnecessary drama. There had already been enough in drama in his last two classes as people he didn't even know started bugging him about dating Aoi, already angry that Ruki would become just as stuck up and arrogant as they believed Aoi to be. Ruki would never be like Aoi acts at school. He just wasn't that kind of person. But no matter how hard he tried to tell everyone that, they already hated him just as much as they feared Aoi.

Finding Aoi's car, he walked over to it, leaning against the front of it, waiting for his raven haired boy. Waiting patiently, Ruki sighed as he saw his friends all getting into Tora's car, and pouted, feeling left out. Looking back over his shoulder, he smiled as he saw Aoi and sat up going over to him, suddenly feeling all the more confident seeing the other. Wrapping his arms around the other, he kissed him confidently, forgetting all the nasty things that his classmates had been saying to him. Aoi was surprised, but held him close, smiling at him. He seemed to be feeling a bit better. Aoi just hoped that it stayed this way.


	12. Falling deeper into madness

Ruki and Aoi were sitting on the front of the raven haired boy's car enjoying the sun. Ruki relaxed but couldn't ignore his old friends sitting in the car a few spots down. He recognized that they no longer wanted anything to do with him, and the more that Ruki thought about it he realized that he wasn't bothered by it as much as he thought it would. If they really didn't want to be friends with him just because he and Aoi were dating, then they weren't really good friends were they? The way Ruki thought of it, he would probably be better off with Aoi's friends. They might just do whatever Aoi says but at least he knew that they would be there and help him now.

"I have something for you," Aoi said, breaking the silence. Sitting up he pulled a box out of his bag. Ruki looked at him, surprised and curious. He hadn't received any sort of gift in a long time, and it came as a surprise that the other would do that after he had already given him so much. Sitting up, he faced the other, looking at the box.

"Aoi, you didn't have to get me anything." Aoi didn't reply and just opened it, revealing a silver chain with a small locket. Ruki looked at it in awe. It was obvious that it was real silver, and must have cost a lot of money. Ruki looked at him. "I can't take this. It's so expensive!" Aoi just smiled and put it around the other's neck. Ruki took the locket into his hand and smiled softly. It was so beautiful. He smiled at Aoi and kissed him. "Thank you." Aoi just smiled and nodded. He never knew what to say in moments like this. Ruki smiled, but could feel eyes on him, and turned to see Reita glaring at him. He didn't understand why. Reita had practically disowned him as a friend along with the rest of the group. Why would he look so jealous about something like this? Ruki thought about this, a bit confused but not wanting to dwell on it. However, when Reita stormed over to them and grabbed Aoi by the shirt, Ruki immediately got up to stop him. He didn't get much of a chance to; before he knew it they were fighting each other. Neither of them was really getting anywhere, each getting in a good amount of hits, both Aoi's mouth and nose bleeding. Ruki had had enough. Stepping between them, he tried to tell them to stop, but only managed to get hit as he walked right into Reita's swing. He stumbled back, his nose hurting and blood already coming from it. He was dazed by the hit, barely registering as Aoi caught him, asking if he was alright then yelling at Reita. He felt so dizzy; he would have fallen over if not for Aoi holding him up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Aoi screamed at Reita. Ruki looked at Reita, seeing the horrified look on his face. He told Aoi to stop; that he would be alright, but Reita had already run off. Ruki didn't know if he should care since they had outright said they didn't care about him. He looked at Aoi, worried as he saw the blood on the other's face, unaware of the blood under his own nose. "Are you alright, Ruki?" Ruki nodded; more interested if the other was alright.

"I'm fine…what about y-," he started to ask, but fainted in the other's arm. That hit must have been harder than he thought.

~!~

For the second time that day, Ruki awoke in Aoi's bedroom, now feeling a cool cloth on his forehead and gauze under his nose. His head was pounding and his whole body ached. He vaguely remembered the fight at school; the last thing he remembered was being hit by Reita. He didn't recall why though, and now that he thought about it, Reita was still really mad at him. What was to stop him from randomly hitting him? That jerk didn't even want to talk to him anymore, so why would Ruki expect any less than a hit to the face. His nose didn't feel broken, and he was grateful. Just imagine how horrible that would have looked. Sitting up slowly, his head felt like it was swimming and he groaned, putting a hand to his forehead to keep the cool cloth there. Looking around, he saw Aoi moving around in the closet and slowly got up to see what he was doing.

Going into the closet, he saw a whole other rack full of clothes that could have only been meant for Ruki. Looking to Aoi, he saw the raven haired boy smile at him.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," the raven teased good-heartedly. Ruki pouted a bit but smiled. He went over to the other and hugged him, leaning against him as he looked at the clothes questioningly. "I took the liberty of getting some professional shoppers to buy clothes for you since you weren't in any condition to go shopping. I hope you like them." Ruki smiled and nodded, looking through them tiredly.

"They're perfect."

~!~

It had been almost a month and a half since Ruki first started dating Aoi, and things were finally looking up again. He hadn't heard from his dad since the day at the carnival lot, Reita and his friends had stopped bugging him now, and the rest of the school was beginning to get used to Ruki being with Aoi. Ruki had become really close with Die and Toshiya and they did almost everything together, despite their initial meeting, and the abuse Ruki took from them. Now Die, Toshiya, Aoi and himself hung out every day. They sat at the biggest table at lunch, terrorized those who stood in their way, and hung out every day after school driving around and having a good time. Ruki hardly noticed the changes he had made. He was turning more and more into the people who had once terrorized him, and he didn't seem to notice even as he did the same thing to others. He had started smoking, Aoi had advised against it, but Die and Toshiya were eager to show him how. His grades had slipped as he hardly ever showed up to class on time, or at all. Not that it really mattered anymore; he didn't have a parent to get angry at him when this happened.

At the moment, Aoi and Ruki were sitting in the parking lot on top of the car hood, having a smoke and relaxing in the sun. It was getting colder out slowly as it crept towards winter, but Ruki and his friends were determined to make the most of the time outside while it was still nice out. Ruki looked over at Aoi, who looked deep in thought. Ruki thought for a minute before squeezing the other's hand that he was holding. Aoi looked over and Ruki smiled at him, dismayed when the other didn't return it.

"Aoi, what's wrong?" He spoke up, curious as to why the other looked so down. Things were going so well, but lately he had been noticing that the other didn't seem quite as happy as he usually was. The raven haired boy always seemed to have something on his mind, and it didn't seem to be anything good. He was always so deep in his thoughts; detached from the rest of the group no matter what they were doing. Ruki stroked his cheek and sighed. "You've been thinking so hard. Why don't you share your thoughts, hmm?" Ruki looked at him worriedly. Aoi looked at him, sighed and sat up. Looking worriedly at his beau, Ruki sat up as well watching Aoi, curious and confused at the other's behaviour.

"Ruki…," Aoi started, "when we first started this, you were this sweet, innocent boy and I fell for you easily, but lately I've been feeling like we've corrupted you. You're not the same person anymore, and it worries me." Ruki watched as Aoi spoke, the raven haired boy not looking at him as he voiced his worries. Ruki listened and looked down, understanding what the other meant, but not quite sure what to do about it. He didn't mind how he turned out. For once, he was happy, and he wasn't sure he wanted to change that. Rubbing the others back gently, he sighed turning his head to look at him, kissing him gently. What could he say to make the other feel better? That he had changed, but he liked it and wasn't going to go back? Somehow he didn't think that it would make the other feel much better. "Please just…try and not to hang out with Die and Toshiya as much. They're turning you into something you're not. Even Reita and those losers are talking about it. I heard them at lunch." Reita was talking about him?

"What did he say?" Ruki spoke quietly, looking at Aoi.

"He said that you turned into a jerk, and that I made you that way. I don't like that people think I made you this way. I may be like that, but you're not. You're the good, sweet student that you were when you first moved here, and I don't want that to change. I liked you the way you were," Aoi said, touching his cheek, looking at him sadly. Ruki looked back, confused and torn about what to do. Everyone hated the way that he was now, but he was finally happy; he was finally a part of something. Pouting, Ruki got off the car, not saying anything to Aoi before walking away. He wondered if the other would follow him or not, not really caring either way. He walked down the streets, not going back to school, and heading downtown. Deep in thought, Ruki wondered what he was to do. He liked being bad, it was a rush, and it made him feel happy, even though now he had been doing it for long enough that he hardly got a rush at all.

He needed something new, he figured out as he walked downtown. He needed something that he could get that rush off of again. He had no parents to worry about him, Aoi seemed to not even like him anymore, and his old friends still hadn't said a word to him since the day Reita hit him. After the quick apology, his blonde ex-best friend went back to completely ignoring him and it continued that way ever since. Yes, Ruki's life had changed a lot since moving, but he still didn't see a problem with it. He was now open to trying just about anything, and wasn't that good? He wasn't so stuck up or ignorant as he used to be. He was more fun to be around when he hung out with his friends, and while he was more mean to people he didn't know, people no longer picked on him; they were too afraid of him.

As Ruki walked further into downtown, he noticed people. People he wouldn't have noticed before. They were walking down the street, talking to whoever, asking for money or food or a place to stay. They were scratching at the marks on their arms, and trembling badly. However, this was not what Ruki saw. Ruki saw people who were happy despite their situation, who were continuing to do as they pleased, meet whoever they want, and were happy throughout all of this. Ruki saw this, and he was happy. He was happy that he had just found the next thing he would try, the next thing in his life that would make him even happier than he was now, and not Aoi nor anyone else was going to be able to stop him.


	13. Needing help

Aoi was worried. He had been mad at the other for walking away when he brought up such an important topic. It was something he had been thinking about for a long time, and it took quite the amount of courage to even be able to bring it up to the other. The fact that the other said nothing to him, and just walked away made Aoi furious. He was just trying to help the other, but the other just didn't seem to want to be helped. He missed the innocent, quiet Ruki that he had first met, and not this new, barely recognizable person he had turned into. So, he didn't follow the other. He hoped the other would have a chance to cool down and come back, but now it was the end of school, and the other still hadn't returned. He didn't pick up his phone that Aoi had bought him, and was not returning any texts. Aoi was really beginning to get worried.

Walking out of the school, he went straight to his car, driving out of the parking lot as fast as he could. He needed to find the other and fast, before he found trouble that he couldn't get out of. Driving down the streets, he looked out for the other, but really had no clue where he could have gone. He had left the school over four hours ago. There was no telling where he could be. As the hours passed on, Aoi kept searching, hoping to find his lost love. He needed to apologize. He didn't care right now who was right and who was wrong; he just wanted to make sure that the other was safe at home with him.

As it grew later as the sky darkened, Aoi headed towards the downtown. There was only one place left to look, and he hoped to God that he didn't find the other there. Ruki had begun to take risks; unnecessary risks that sometimes put him in danger, and he acted as if he enjoyed it. Aoi was worried at how the other was behaving lately, still not sure why the other had turned into what he had. Hearing Reita blame Ruki's behaviour on him, Aoi felt guilty which was why he decided to talk to the other. He hoped he wasn't the reason why the other had become so careless. He loved the other, and he didn't want the other to deteriorate because of a few bad decisions. If it was true that Aoi was the cause of these bad decisions, he would never let himself get over it. If he was the reason Ruki's life ended because of a choice not made in the right mind, he would feel forever guilty.

Driving slowly down the main street, he looked down the alleyways and around corners, worried that he might find Ruki here, and even more worried if he didn't. Turning around the last corner, Aoi was beginning to lose hope, until he saw the other sitting in an alleyway looking at something in his hands. Eyes widening, Aoi quickly parked the car, locking it as he got out and ran to the other's side. Ruki was sitting on the dirty ground of the alleyway, staring at his hands, which held a small syringe. Aoi say it and quickly took it, throwing it away.

"Ruki? Ruki, look at me. What did you do?" Aoi tried to get the other's attention, but it seemed the other was deep inside his own thoughts. Aoi hoped he had reached the other in time before he did something stupid. Checking his arms, he frowned sadly as he saw the marks along the inside of his elbow. He hadn't come soon enough, just because he was too stubborn to run after the other! Now the other had gone and taken something. Aoi didn't even know what it was! "Ruki?" He kept trying to get the others attention. Finally, Ruki looked up at the other, his eyes hazed over, looking sleepy and completely out of it.

"Aoi? What are you doing here?" Ruki's voice was slow and quiet, and Aoi had to really listen to make out what he was trying to say with how much he was slurring. Picking the other up, he didn't answer as he carried the other back to his car. Unlocking it and putting the other in the passenger seat safely, he took him home quietly. He kept a watch on him, worried as he didn't know what the other had taken. Sighing, he watched as the other fell asleep. What had he done to make the other resort to this? Was the other upset about something enough that he would throw his life away?

Once they were home, and Aoi had put the other to bed, he stayed up for a while, drinking a coffee and thinking. He was trying to figure out exactly when Ruki had turned into this person. And no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out. It had snuck up on him so quickly, and like a snake it bit him when it was too late. Now, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. The other was falling quickly, and he didn't know how to pull him out of the sinkhole Ruki had caught himself in.

Sipping the drink from his mug, he looked out as the sky grew even darker and the stars started to come out. He would need help because he needed to make sure that tonight didn't happen again and he wasn't sure if he could do that on his own. He knew he could never tell his parents; they would kick Ruki out. They would not put up with anybody who's done drugs, even if it was just once. He couldn't talk to Die or Toshiya as Aoi was certain that this rapid decline of mental health in Ruki had something to do with the two of them. Of course, his two friends wouldn't have done it on purpose, but they probably added to it in some way. Aoi didn't doubt it.

As Aoi thought about who could help him, his mind wandered to Reita. He knew the blonde and his group of friends was still mad at Ruki, and even disliked what he had become, but maybe they could be the perfect people to help him. At one point, Ruki had meant something to them, and if it meant getting Ruki back to how he used to be, then perhaps they would help. Aoi knew that asking Reita wouldn't get him anywhere, as the blonde was naturally hot headed and rarely listened to reason when it came to Aoi. He would have to talk to someone else. He considered Tora, but the pale boy still dislikes Aoi, maybe even more than Reita did. He never really understood why. Tora and Aoi used to be best friends, but when the other was abducted, there was nothing Aoi could do. He was worried about his friend, but he couldn't look for him, he couldn't find him; there was nothing Aoi could do and it made him feel helpless. He was ecstatic when Tora was returned, but the dark haired boy was not the same. He had turned against Aoi, blaming him for everything that had happened to him while he was missing, and even though Aoi never did know what happened to the full extent, there was no way Aoi could convince his friend that he wasn't a part of it.

So Tora was out of the picture, at least for now. Kai seemed to be the only one there with a level head. He had been mad at Ruki at first, but had gradually gotten over it, until Ruki started treating him badly. Ruki's attitude had taken a turn for the worse, and when Kai tried to reason with him, all Ruki did was spit insults at him until Kai was so upset he couldn't even talk to the other anymore. But Aoi could tell by that incident that Ruki still meant something to Kai, and since the innocent boy always had a need to help people, he would be the best shot Aoi had to get the group to help him. He really hoped that this would work. He wanted his old Ruki back.


	14. An old friend

The next day was a long one for Aoi. He had a lot on his mind, and as lunch approached he still hadn't had a chance to talk to Kai. Ruki was with him, feeling horrible after his previous night's activities, and refused to make eye contact with Aoi. Ruki knew that Aoi knew what he did, and he was embarrassed. He was embarrassed, but more than anything, he was angry. Why did the other have to come and save him? This was his life! His, not Aoi's! And yet the raven haired boy thinks he can control what Ruki did and didn't do. Ruki had been stuck with Aoi since the beginning of the day, hearing non-stop "no" and "I don't think you should" every time Ruki mentioned something he wanted to do. The other didn't want him leaving his side, and it was driving Ruki crazy. He wanted to hang out with Die and Toshiya today and maybe go see a movie, or get drunk behind the school tonight, but with the way things were going, it didn't seem Aoi was going to let him out of his sight long enough for Ruki to get away with either of those.

Ruki sighed as he and Aoi waiting in line for their food. It was taking forever and the line was moving so slow! Eventually, he decided to just push passed everyone to the front of the line. Turning back to look at them, he glared at each person. He knew that they knew better than to say anything. They were too frightened of what Ruki had proved capable of doing. The short blonde had become the new tyrant of the school, more feared than Aoi himself. He knew Aoi was worried about this, but he didn't pay it any mind. What did he care anymore anyways? The raven haired boy just kept trying to control his life, and that just wasn't cool.

Aoi watched as the other pushed passed everyone and shook his head. The boy had become so rude that he had a hard time even being around him. He tried to stay by the other all morning to make sure he didn't run off back downtown, but it was becoming almost insufferable. The blonde had changed so much, he was hardly recognizable, and Aoi just couldn't take it.

"Ruki, I'll be right back. Get your food, and I'll meet you outside," he said, before walking away. The other hadn't tried to run away all day, although he kept bugging him to ditch class to hang out with Die and Toshiya, but Aoi had made him stay in class. The other needed to start focusing again, to be more like he used to be. He knew he could trust the other to wait by the car. Even though the other had turned into a complete jerk, worse than Aoi himself, sitting on the car at lunch was still something Ruki never missed. It was a moment in their life where Ruki still seemed normal; where he still acted like Ruki, the real Ruki.

Aoi walked over to the table where Kai was sitting, waiting for the rest of his friends. Aoi had noticed the other sitting by himself, and took the perfect opportunity to talk to the boy. Going over, he sat in front of the innocent boy, who looked up surprised at Aoi.

"Aoi? What are you doing here?" Kai said, shortly but politely. Aoi sighed and hoped that the other would listen to him. Looking at his hands, he tried to figure out how he would word this, wishing he had planned this out more beforehand as he didn't have much time with the other now. Looking back at Kai, he sighed.

"Look, Kai. I know we never really got along, but," he said, looking seriously at the other, "I really need your help."

"Why would I help you, Aoi? You have caused me and my friends nothing but sadness and pain," Kai said calmly, but looking at the other almost coldly. Aoi supposed that the other's kindness only went so far. Sighing, he thought. He had to get the other to help him save Ruki. He was the blonde's only hope.

"I know you still care about Ruki. I do too, but I'm very worried about him. He's turned into somebody I don't even know, and I know you see it. Everybody does," Aoi said, not giving the other a chance to speak yet. "It's getting worse, though Kai. I'm afraid I'm going to lose the real Ruki. I'm afraid we're _all _going to lose him." Kai listened quietly to the other as he talked as soon as he heard him bring up Ruki. Kai had indeed noticed the change, and had always thought that it was Aoi who had created this new Ruki, but looking at Aoi and how scared he was for the short boy, it was obvious that Aoi had nothing to do with it.

"How's it worse, Aoi?" Kai said carefully, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer. He saw how Ruki acted and the only thing worse than treating others with no respect is having no respect for yourself. What could Ruki be doing that scared Aoi so much?

"I found him downtown last night…," Aoi said quietly, looking pale as he thought back to the horrible discovery, "He had taken something…but I don't know what. I found him too late, and he'd already taken it. I don't want him to fall into that sort of lifestyle Kai. I need your help. I don't know what to do!" Aoi put his head in his hands, overwhelmed by this new ordeal. He was so scared for Ruki, even Kai could tell this was sincere. Kai was worried too. The news that Ruki had started to meddle in drugs was horrifying. Kai, of course, would do anything in his power to help Ruki.

"I'll help in any way I can, Aoi. We need to keep him away from downtown so that he can't get any more of whatever he took, or anything else for that matter," Kai said, looking worried for Ruki, but determined to help the other. He thought about asking the other's to help as well. He knew that they still wanted their friend back, but since the change he wasn't sure if the other's were willing to help Ruki. Ruki had treated them very badly in the past month or so, and the two were often mad at the short boy. Kai knew that as Tora's lover he could convince the boy to help Ruki, especially if he brought up how much danger Ruki could put himself in because of all this. It was Reita that Kai was so unsure about. Reita and Ruki had been best friends, but since Ruki left them for Aoi, Reita has been in quite a mood about anything Ruki-related. "I can probably get Tora to help too, but I can't promise anything with Reita. Keep us updated. Here's my cell number," Kai said, writing his number down, "We'll help get Ruki better."

Aoi smiled at the other. He knew that Kai would see how desperate he was to have someone help get Ruki better, and just as he had hoped, Kai stepped up and agreed. Aoi was even happier as he said that he could get Tora involved as well. Ruki would probably be happy to have his old friends talking to him again, once the initial re-greeting was passed. Looking behind him, he saw Tora and Reita glaring at him as they seen him. Sighing, Aoi said a quick goodbye to Kai before heading outside, seeing Ruki sitting on the car, eating his lunch in their usual spot. Smiling a bit, he went over and sat beside him. Wrapping an arm around him, he kissed his cheek. "I love you, Ruki."


	15. Phase One

"There is no way I'm helping that prick!"

Reita's voice spoke up as they sat in Kai's room. Kai had called Reita over after talking with Tora. That hadn't gone over well, but after seducing him into saying yes, Tora agreed to help Ruki and to try and convince Reita to do the same. So far, it wasn't going so well. Reita refused to have anything to do with Ruki, and kept telling them that whatever he did with his life was fine with him. It was obvious that what he was saying wasn't true, it was evident in his eyes, but it didn't make the blonde's argument stop.

"Reita, please! He was your best friend! You can't be so cold to him knowing the situation he's in!" Kai tried to reason with him, but it really just didn't seem to be going through his friend's thick head. Looking over at Tora, he pouted. He really wanted to help Ruki, and he was sure that the best way of doing that would be to get Reita to be close with him again. Kai strongly believed that if he and his friends had acted differently, this would have never happened. Ruki would have always been the smart, innocent boy he was when they met him.

"Kai, why should I help him? He left me! He left us, remember? And now he expects us to just come back and save him again after he treated us so badly? That doesn't make sense to me Kai, and it shouldn't make sense to you either!" Reita was so stubborn, and it was driving Kai crazy. What could he say to make Reita see that he was Ruki's only hope? "Look Kai, Tora; I don't give a damn about Ruki anymore, okay? He's not my problem anymore, and he shouldn't be yours either," Reita said before storming out of the house, slamming the door as he headed home. Kai jumped at the sound of the slamming door, and looked at Tora sadly. What were they going to do without Reita? They could try and help as much as they could, but Reita truly was the key, and the stupid blonde just didn't see it that way.

"Don't worry, Kai," Tora said, sitting beside him quietly, wrapping an arm around him, "We'll figure this out. We can still help Ruki without him, and maybe when Reita sees that what we're doing is helping Ruki, he'll reconsider." Tora's words soothed Kai. It made the situation seem alright, despite how horrible it was. Kai understood that this didn't have to be their responsibility; that they didn't have to go through all this stress, especially as exams were coming up, but Ruki was their friend, and they had to help him. There was no other way.

~!~

Aoi woke up the next morning, sleeping in his spot beside the other, but when he opened his eyes, Ruki wasn't there. Sitting up quickly, Aoi looked around for his short beau. Calling for him, he frowned as he got no answer. Getting up quickly, Aoi found some clean clothes and left his room, looking throughout his house for Ruki. Ten minutes later and a quick search through the house made Aoi realized that the other wasn't in the house. Racing out the door, he got in the car and started driving towards the place he knew the other was going.

Aoi watched the sidewalks as he drove quickly downtown. He didn't know how long ago the other had left, but if he could catch him before the other took whatever it was he was out to get, he could rest easier. He had to keep the other safe, but if the other was going to continue running off like this in the middle of the night, it was going to be even hard than he expected. Racing through the streets, he looked through alleyways, calling for the other, worried that this time might be the other's last. Aoi's eyes widened as he saw his poor love sitting in the same dirty alleyway, head tilted to the side, the empty syringe once again in his hand.

"God damn it!" Aoi screamed, frustrated with himself that he didn't keep the other away, and frustrated with Ruki, who just didn't seem to understand the damage he was doing. Going over, he threw the syringe away, replaying the exact events of a few nights back, picking the other up and driving away.

This time, Aoi drove straight to Kai's house, carrying the other inside. He saw Kai's parents stare at him from their spot at the table, spoons full of breakfast as they stopped eating. Taking Ruki to Kai's room, tears filled his eyes. He was already loosing it, and it was only the second time Ruki had done this. How was he supposed to stop the other? Kai looked up as Aoi burst into the room, thankfully having already been dressed. Looking at Ruki, Kai immediately understood what had happened. Getting up quickly, he stared in horror as Aoi put Ruki on the bed.

"How long has it been?" Kai asked, quickly putting a pillow under the other's head. Looking at Aoi, he saw the raven haired boy covering Ruki with a blanket that sat at the edge of the bed. Kai sat beside Ruki, stroking his hair as the boy stared off into space, blissfully unaware of anything that was going on around him.

"Not more than ten minutes," Aoi's voice spoke softly, body trembling as he watched Ruki, holding his hand. He knew the outcome of this if it kept on the way it was going, and he was scared of the possibility. Kai sighed and got the other a glass of water from the kitchen, asking his parents not to disturb them. Of course, he knew his parent's were worried, but they trusted Kai. He was a good student, and a good kid. If he needed the few hours before going to school, that was fine; and if he couldn't be disturbed they were fine with that too, but they were worried about the boy that was brought in here half conscious. Kai assured them that everything would be fine, before going back with the glass of water, hoping that Ruki would be conscious enough to drink the glass.

~!~

Ruki's mind was a blur. His whole body felt numb, and his head full of static. It was a strange bliss, he would admit; not what he had expected. But he felt so calm in this strange state of mind, that he could only sit there and enjoy it. His body refused to move; it didn't have to. He could feel something going on, but he couldn't reach his mind out enough to figure out where he was, or who he was with, or what was even going on right now. He felt a soft hand touch his cheek, and instantly his mind recognized it as Aoi's. Grinning stupidly, Ruki held that had close to him, refusing to let it go. Aoi complied willingly; or at least he assumed.

Originally, this was just a trial thing; to see if he liked it. The first time had been a bad high. Aoi had come at the wrong time and ruined it all, and put Ruki in a bad mood for the rest of the night. But this; this was like heaven. He had never felt so good; so free and relaxed. He loved it, and he didn't want this to stop. But soon enough, he felt the cool touch of a glass touch his lip and water trickle into his mouth. It caught Ruki off guard, but he realized how thirsty he was, and drank quickly. His mind was slowly coming back to reality and what felt like minutes were actually hours as his body slowly came back to its normal plateau and Ruki was once again brought back to the situation around him.

His first thought was Kai. Kai was sitting there beside him, looking at him worriedly. Looking around, he realized he was in Kai's room; in Kai's house! His old friend was still sitting beside him, holding his hand. Ruki smiled at him and chuckled a bit, his head still a bit fuzzy.

"Kai…"


	16. Phase Two

School later that day was hell for Ruki. He felt so slow and sickly that he could barely stand. Luck for him, Kai and Aoi were beside him the whole day making sure that he was alright and stayed on track. It was hard through class as his mind kept wandering away from the topic. It had been forever since he had attended a class, and even if he did, he had never paid attention. Now he had no idea what was going on, and it made it harder to pay attention. He was completely lost with what the teacher was talking about, and most of the time he just felt like falling asleep.

As lunch time approached, Ruki was getting more and more tired and ended up leaning against Aoi as they walked with Kai to the lunch table. Ruki was really tired, and was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He had spent the entire first class talking with Kai and Aoi about this developing problem and had concluded that they were going to try and help him stop. It hadn't been for long, so they figured that if Ruki tried hard and listened to them, that they could catch this early and save him. Ruki agreed, but in his heart he knew he would miss the high. But if doing this got his old friends back, as he had already seen with Kai, then he was willing to try. He could be just as happy with his old friends as he was with the drug.

Going into the cafeteria, Ruki saw Tora and Reita sitting at the table and instantly got nervous. Kai had explained to them how Reita refused to be a part of this despite Kai and Tora's pleading. Sitting in between Kai and Aoi, Ruki looked across the table at Reita and Tora. Tora smiled welcomingly at Ruki, having missed having his friend around. Reita on the other hand glared at Ruki and left the room. Ruki watched him sadly. Despite how hard Ruki was trying, and continued to try, it seemed that there would be no way of winning Reita's trust and friendship back.

The rest of the lunch was rather uneventful. Ruki's stomach was still upset, and he refused to eat much. Aoi did manage to get Ruki to eat a few bites of his lunch before Ruki pushed away the plate, rejecting the rest of the food. Aoi sighed but didn't push the other anymore. They had to take it slow so that they didn't push Ruki away; they didn't want to drive him back to the drug.

~!~

Ruki still hadn't told his friends exactly what he had taken. To be totally honest, Ruki himself didn't even know if what he had was pure and unmixed, but at the time it didn't really seem important to ask. He just wanted it, and he wanted it right away. The first time Ruki had asked for Heroin. Being as the person was trying to get him addicted and seeing how willing the other was, he didn't charge him, and that made Ruki even happier. It had been great, and Ruki was excited to go back again, but the Aoi had not let him leave his side the whole next day.

It drove Ruki crazy; he wasn't addicted but it had been great, and he was so looking forward to the next time that the day at school Ruki tried everything to get away from Aoi, even for a second. However, Aoi had been persistent, and Ruki was forced to wait until the next morning. He had woken up early, planning to get out before the other even woke up. Ruki smiled as Aoi was thankfully sleeping like a rock. Kissing his cheek, he left the house early, walking down to the same alley as the night before, this time with a bunch of cash he had saved up from the year and a half he had worked before he moved. He knew it wouldn't be free this time. He was smart, he had spent years studying hard and paying attention in class, and if anything were to come from that, it was his knowledge that he better show up with money this time.

The second time that Ruki went downtown, it was not Heroin he got, even though it was what he originally asked for. After all, he didn't want to try too many things at once; it might not end up good. Of course, it didn't go through Ruki's mind that it wasn't good for him to do any of it at all. The dealer had given him Coke, since the money Ruki had wasn't enough to pay for the drug he had asked for. Ruki had taken it willingly. After all, he didn't come here for nothing, and if he didn't take something, the dealer would most likely keep his money anyways.

It was a completely different experience, and the results lasted much longer. Ruki was still seeing stars when Aoi had found him yet again. This time he could barely form sentences in his head as the other picked him up and put him in the car. Ruki at some point had fallen asleep and when he awoke, his head was pounding, and he was no longer in the car. However, the room he was in was not his and Aoi's. It was familiar, but he couldn't place it. Looking around, he saw Kai and was shocked back into silence. The drugs were still in his system, and while he could think of sentences and complete thoughts, saying them was another story.

And that was how it went. From there, it was a good hour just listening as Aoi and Kai tried to convince Ruki to step away from the drugs while he still could. Ruki tried to pay attention, but the drugs in his system and the shock of seeing Aoi and Kai working together was too overwhelming. Eventually though, Ruki listened well and understood what his friends were trying to do. He could finally see what he had been doing to himself and others around him. He agreed to let them help him, and to help himself as well, but now as he sat in his last class of the day, and the drug's effects were completely gone, he was already feeling want to get more. It shocked him how quickly he had become 'addicted' , wanting more as soon as the effects wore off, but that was exactly what he felt right now, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Kai, Aoi and Tora were all in different classes, and Ruki was the only one not paying attention in his class. Die was in his class, but he had promised Aoi that he wouldn't spend so much time with the pair of friends and try and focus on his classes again. So he said nothing to his friend. Instead, he looked back to the teacher, trying really hard to pay attention in his class. Exams were coming up, and Kai had suggested that Ruki spend some days after school with him so that he could catch him up in time to pass the exams.

By the time the bell rang, Ruki was about ready to fall over, he felt so bad. The ever-present thoughts of the drugs were still in his mind, but right now, he just felt so sick. He just wanted to go home. Aoi was waiting outside the other's class, as he said he would. Ruki may have agreed to all of this, but they were still very careful, and it somewhat annoyed Ruki, even though he knew it would be necessary. They didn't want him running off, and it made sense.

Aoi smiled at Ruki, and wrapped an arm around him, leading him back to his car. He was glad that Ruki had agreed to the help. Without the other's agreement in the matter, it would have been a lot harder. Aoi didn't question the fact that it would be hard enough already. If Aoi, Kai and Tora planned to do this on their own, they would have to be completely dedicated, which they had no problem accepting because Ruki was all their friend, and for Aoi his boyfriend, but accepting and following through are completely different things. Aoi worried that it might become too much for one of them, and losing even one person in this once Ruki began depending on them could be devastating.

Taking Ruki home, he noticed how tired the other seemed to be and suggested that the other take a nap on the couch while he made them dinner. Since his parents were rarely home, and were once again away on business, Aoi had been making dinner for them since Ruki knew little about cooking. Usually, Ruki would do his own thing or help Aoi, but today he wanted to sleep. That was alright with Aoi since he didn't mind much, but he wanted to make sure that he could see the other while he was cooking. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled as he saw Ruki asleep on the couch.

~!~

Ruki still didn't each much at dinner, and still feeling exhausted. Aoi was a great cook, and he didn't like the fact that he couldn't stomach his food right now, but he was either too exhausted to eat or the fact that his stomach was turning about a million different ways at once. Either way, once he had helped Aoi clean up after dinner, despite the other's protests that it was alright if he wanted to just go back to sleep, they both made their way to their room to get ready for bed. Ruki was worn out, and ready for a good night's sleep.

Crawling into bed, Ruki looked at Aoi. The raven haired boy and his friends were trying so hard to help him become the person he was before, but how could they do that if they didn't know the truth about what happened all those months ago with his father? They would need to know, but how could he tell them? It was such a hard topic to even think about, let along talk about to someone else, even Aoi.

Ruki thought about this as he waited for Aoi to come to bed before curling up with him. He would tell the other. He had already decided he would have to. Then he could give Aoi permission to tell Kai, so that Ruki wouldn't have to tell the story all over again. Looking up at his beau, he bit his lip.

"Aoi….I have to tell you something….,"


	17. Phase Three

Aoi stood beside Ruki in the hallway, about to enter the cafeteria. He bit his lip and looked at Ruki. After the conversation they had last night, Aoi had had a hard time getting to sleep. He kept thinking about what Ruki had told him, about what was going on the whole time and no one even knew. He spent hours awake long after his boyfriend fell asleep, thinking about how he could make up all those horrible memories to the other once this intervention was over. He thought about how it made everything look clearer, brought everything into focus. It explained so much, even the recent drug use. Now they were at school, Ruki practically clinging to his arm, standing outside the cafeteria as Aoi wondered if the other really wanted him to do this.

"Ruki, are you sure you want me to tell Kai? You'll have to stay with us...you know that, right?" he said, looking to the shorter boy worriedly. Ruki nodded, and though he looked worried, he continued to tell the other to do it. Aoi sighed and walked into the large room with the other, sitting beside Kai and Tora, smiling at them. He noticed that Reita wasn't even with them today, and though he was curious about where the annoying boy was, he decided to wait until later. Looking at Kai, he sighed, and began to tell him and Tora everything.

Ruki looked away as Aoi spoke quietly to the two, not wanting to see their expressions or hear their little gasps of horror as Aoi had done the night before. Once was more than enough for the other, and if it wasn't for the promise he made to try and help himself, he wouldn't even be allowing Aoi to tell the others. Ruki trusted Aoi though, and even if he hadn't told the others, Aoi would have found out eventually. It had become plainly obvious that the person the school thought Aoi was, was completely different than the true Aoi, and while the school shivered under fear of Aoi's attitude at school, Ruki loved the man Aoi became as soon as they were in his car, driving away from the horrible building.

Thinking about Aoi in this way gave Ruki a chance to space out from the conversation taking place beside him, and he even managed a small smile. It distracted him from the horrible topic until Aoi tapped his shoulder, calling his name gently. Looking back over to his friends, his good mood was brought down a little bit as he saw the tears in both Kai and Tora's eyes. Pouting, he sighed and looked down. He didn't want to know what they thought of it, and Aoi knew that. He had told his dark haired boyfriend that if he were to tell them, that he didn't want to discuss it at all afterwards.

Ruki was aware that at some point they were going to have to discuss it. The others would want to know his thoughts and feelings on it to help them try and understand why Ruki had turned to the drugs, but Ruki just wasn't ready to discuss it. It had taken a lot of courage to even be able to tell Aoi, and he didn't have the courage anymore to do anything else. It would just have to stay dormant again until Ruki was ready. Aoi understand Ruki's wishes with this, and he knew that Kai and Tora would as well.

Smiling weakly at the two, he looked back to his food, picking at it and taking a small bite. He had lost his appetite. Aoi watched Ruki and sighed. It was a stressful thing, Aoi was quite understanding about it all, but seeing the other pick at his food made him worry. He had been happy when they were in line and the other seemed to have regained his healthy appetite, but now it seemed he had lost it again, and that was not good. Ruki needed his strength more than ever, but he was hardly eating at all since he found him in the alleyway the second time. His mood has been decreasing, and it seemed that there was nothing that would make the other really happy again.

Once lunch was over, Aoi took him to his next class, holding his hand the whole way. He watched the other's expression as they walked; worried that he might do something during their time apart. It was unfortunate that none of the three friends were in a class with Ruki in the afternoon, and it made Aoi worry. He could easily get out and leave, but at least Die was in this one and Toshiya in the next. While they couldn't stop Ruki from leaving, they had promised to tell Aoi if he left and didn't return. It was the only option he had, and he just hoped that if that were to ever happen, that he could reach Ruki in time before he went back to that awful place.

Kissing the shorter boy's forehead, he watched as Ruki went into class and took his seat before heading to his own class.

~!~

The thoughts that were going through Kai's mind as he walked to class were not happy ones. And why should they be? His life, mostly, had been pretty good, and for that he was grateful but for his friend Ruki, it seemed he did not have the same simple, childish pleasures that everyone else got. He didn't get the respect that he rightfully deserved, and that upset Kai. The news of what the other's father did to him cut Kai deep. He had heard of those sad stories on the news, but he had never known someone who had that done to him; not by a family member. Tora's situation was completely different, but he didn't much like to think of that one either. It had taken Kai a long time to get Tora as relaxed and comfortable around people again, and he was now worried that he would have to do the same for Ruki.

Sitting in class, Kai managed to push the horrible thoughts out of his mind in order to concentrate in class. It is difficult and he knew that most people couldn't do it. He also knew that somehow he would have to teach Ruki this if he wanted to pass his exams. Kai was sure that before all of this started happening and Ruki had still been a good student and paying attention that he knew how to blank everything else out and focus on what the teacher was saying. He just hoped that somehow the other would remember it so that it wouldn't be so hard for Kai to teach.

~!~

After school was Ruki's first day working with Kai. He brought his books over and sat at the table patiently as he waited for Kai to change out of his school clothes. Opening his books, he tried to look for what Kai would be teaching him. He hoped he went over the science first as Ruki was just plain lost in that class. Ruki wasn't aware of how much he had actually missed until he started paying attention again. It had never seemed like he was missing that much class time when he was out having fun. Of course, when you're completely wasted, time always goes fast.

When Kai first started to teach Ruki, the shorter boy's head felt about ready to explode. He was going so fast, and Ruki's mind was constantly wandering to other things; one thing towering over all the others. If he just told Kai that he had to run home and get something…NO! He couldn't give up that easily! He had promised them that he would try his hardest, and he would! Turning his attention back to the books, he asked questions and tried to figure things out, but it was very difficult. Ruki's head hurt, and he really just wanted to go home and spend some time with his boyfriend. However, once looking at the clock, Ruki realized that Aoi wouldn't be here to pick him up for another hour. Pouting, Ruki rested his head in his palm and kept taking notes.

Kai was aware that Ruki had a horrible time concentrating, but he didn't think it was the right time to try and teach the other how to pay better attention. It was his first day, and he was trying to keep things simple, but the course load Ruki had this year was difficult, and Kai was having a hard time trying to figure out how he would make time to teach the other and keep up with his own work. He figured that if necessary he could get Tora to help teach Ruki, but the three of them had a plan and they had to stick to it.

When Aoi, Kai and Tora first got together about how they were going to help Ruki, they had devised a plan that would keep all of them sane, as well as Ruki. It had been Tora's idea from the start, which made sense because Tora was very well educated when it came to how people in Ruki's position trusted people. Their plan had become that they would each be in charge of specific things, so that Ruki would have someone he could depend on for everything, without driving them all insane. Kai was in charge of getting Ruki back on track with his classes, and somehow when they had thought up each person's individual rules, it had seemed realistic. However, now Kai was reconsidering taking this task on by himself. Aoi was in charge of getting Ruki places, as well as keeping him safe while at home. It required locks on all the doors, the keys to which only Aoi held. Tora's job was to be a shrink of sorts. He was to be there whenever Ruki felt he needed to talk to a friend; not a boyfriend, or a teacher; just a friend. It was a good job for Tora since he understood better than anyone what Ruki was going through.

~!~

Two hours later, Ruki was sitting at home with Aoi, watching a TV show while they ate popcorn from a bowl that Aoi had made earlier. It was relaxing time; something Aoi figured Ruki would need every time he came home from Kai's house after he realized how tense Ruki was when he picked him up. Apparently, it was going to take a lot more than one or two days a week to get Ruki to understand all the information that he would need to.

Ruki was calm now, and Aoi was glad that he had found something that appealed to his beau. It was nice to have a moment that wasn't full of stress, and he figured that they both deserved that. Aoi figured that Kai and Tora would probably do the same thing. It would be a good way of keeping them all under control and focused; especially Ruki.


	18. Bad

Ruki woke in the middle of the night, body freezing and shivering badly. He didn't feel cold, but he could feel something else; something that he really didn't want to feel, especially not at three in the morning. The need for the substance had grown substantially over the past few days, and he was at his breaking point. He was at the point now where if he didn't get it somehow, he would die. Or at least that's how it felt as Ruki got up and quickly got dressed, dressing in layers to keep himself warm. Looking at Aoi sadly, he wished he had the strength to get back into bed and ignore it. He knew he could wake the other and he would help him, but he really needed the drug, and the other would just prevent him from getting it. He thought about calling Tora, but it was too early in the morning. He wouldn't wake his friend, it wouldn't be right.

Ruki left the bedroom quietly, and slowly made his way to Aoi's father's office. Since this intervention had begun, Aoi had the habit of keeping important things in his father's office. This included the keys to the front door. Grabbing them from the box, Ruki smiled then pouted. If he was going to get what he wanted, he was going to need the money to do so. Biting his lip, he realized that Aoi had a few hundred dollars saved up for a trip they were going to take when Ruki was recovered. It was supposed to be a present Ruki would get when this intervention was no longer needed, and Ruki would be better again. Right now, it didn't seem like that day was ever going to come, so what was the big deal if Ruki used it for something that he could actually make happen?

Sneaking back into the bedroom, he found Aoi's wallet and took out the cash. He felt horrible for doing this, remembering his promise for a quick second, before those thoughts were quickly overrun by the want of the drug pressing him onward and out the door.

The air was cold as it was getting closer and closer to winter. Ruki could see his breath as he walked briskly down the street. He needed to get to the alleyway as quickly as he could. Clutching his jacket around him tighter, he ran a bit down the street, hoping to get their faster. Hard work paying off, Ruki soon arrived at the alleyway, grateful to see the same guy from the past few nights willing to cut him a deal with the money he had. He heard the man say something about a bad batch he was looking to get rid of cheap, and vaguely wondered if he should be worried.

Once the man has assured Ruki that a 'bad batch' meant nothing more than a slight discoloration, the short boy went to his usual spot, taking the syringe and pressing the drug into his body. His body trembled as he felt the drug work through his body. It felt different than the times before, and the fact that he had gotten it so cheap started to worry Ruki yet again. Did a 'bad batch' really mean something so innocent or could it possibly be the reason why Ruki felt like he was in hell right now, and not his own personal heaven? Falling to the ground, Ruki started coughing. There was definitely something wrong, and it made Ruki scared.

Heart racing, Ruki tried to move, but found it hard to even lift his arm. The syringe was still his hand, empty. Ruki looked around. His vision was blurred and he couldn't stop coughing. He felt liquid come from his mouth and looking down at where it fell upon his shirt, he saw the material turn red. Blood? Why was he coughing blood?

As another coughing fit took over, Ruki felt his body go ice cold, and he started shivering. He wanted to pull his jacket around him, but he could barely move still, and he didn't have any way of calling for help. Ruki desperately wanted help. He wanted Aoi. He needed Aoi to save him, because this time, he really needed it. Ruki was scared, and he didn't know what to do. He could feel himself getting weaker, the coughing fits coughing more and more blood to exit his mouth, draining his energy as he lay on the cold, dirty ground of the alleyway. He had completely lost control of his body now, and only his mind was capable of freaking out as his body convulsed, sending more blood through his mouth, covering his chin and shirt. He heard a car drive up, and his mind started to race excitedly as he thought Aoi had come to save him at last.

Unfortunately, it was soon obvious that it wasn't Aoi. He saw the blurry flashing lights, and the faint sound of the siren. He couldn't even feel as the paramedics brought him onto the stretcher and into the ambulance. He felt so tired. He just wanted to sleep. He felt so weak, and all he wanted to see was Aoi. Where was Aoi? He was supposed to save him, not these people! He didn't know any of these people! He didn't know what they were going to do with him, and that scared him. They could take advantage of him and he wouldn't even be able to stop him. His father had done it, so what was to stop these men?

~!~

Aoi was awoken by the sound of his phone. It rang loudly, making him groan. Glancing at the clock, he realized that it was too early for his alarm to be going off. Looking at the phone he realized it was a call and quickly answered.

"Hello?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes as he did, speaking quietly as to not wake Ruki.

"Aoi? It's Kai. Is Ruki at home?" Kai's voice sounded frantic through the phone and Aoi frowned, wondering why the other was calling so early to ask such a silly question. Aoi wasn't fully awake yet and so didn't fully understand what Kai was asking.

"Of course he is, Kai. It's a little early to want to talk to him, isn't it?" Aoi asking, yawning tiredly, "Alright, I'll give the phone to him, he's right her-." Aoi's voice cut off suddenly as he turned to the spot beside him, only to see it empty. Aoi's eyes widened and he quickly got up going into the hallways calling for Ruki loudly, hoping that he was in the house. Not hearing an answer, he quickly ran to the office and looked for the key. It was missing. Aoi started freaking out. "Kai, he's not here. He's gone. We have to find him!" Aoi was breathing unevenly, tears already flowing down his eyes as he went to get his pants, noticing his wallet out and all the money gone. He knew exactly where Ruki had gone.

"Aoi….," Kai's voice had gone solemn on the other end, causing Aoi to pause and frown, listening intently, "I know where Ruki is. I was hoping it wasn't true, but when I got the call from the nurse…." The nurse? Aoi froze, dropping the phone. Ruki was at the hospital? Without stopping to pick up his phone, Aoi quickly got dressed and raced out the door. It had started raining, and Aoi found it quite fitting for the situation. He was freaking out, and crying but the tears mixed with the raindrops making it almost unnoticeable.

Racing through the streets, Aoi prayed to God that Ruki would be alright, although by the sound of Kai's voice, Aoi almost knew it wasn't. He drove carefully, wanting to make it to the hospital in one piece. He didn't want anything to hinder him finding Ruki. He needed to be there with the other, he needed to be there. Why couldn't he protect him? How had he let this happen?

Aoi had thought he was being so careful with the other, even believing that they had made some progress. It didn't seem like Ruki was craving the horrible stuff at all, but now Aoi saw that it was stupid to believe that Ruki would not crave the drug. Even though it had just begun, it was powerful no matter what it was. Aoi should have known better than to believe Ruki was getting better. It would never be that easy. It was a mistake that Aoi hated himself for, and if he lost Ruki over this stupid little mistake, he would never forgive himself for this. Never.


	19. Awakening

**I'm so sorry it's been forever for this story! Are you guys still reading? O-o I hope so, though you may need to read back and refresh your memory. This is a big chapter and it's going to be really hard to write! Oh gosh! Well, I hope at least some of you are still reading this! I really liked this one and had gotten really into it for a while, and I'm hoping to finish this one sometime soon, though probably not for like ten chapters still, so don't worry. But I want to update sooner than between now and the last time. Which was like, what? Over a year ago? Yeah…okay yeah, sooner than that. Anyways, enjoy!**

Aoi had been sitting in the waiting room for a while after being refused for the tenth time to see Ruki. His beau had been stabilized, but the nurse refused to let him in. The only one allowed to see Ruki, or allow others access to see him was his guardian, and according to the law, or as far as the hospital was concerned, Ruki's father was still his sole guardian. Aoi, of course, was infuriated. He didn't want that abusive asshole anywhere near Ruki, but it was either take his chances with that man or not get to see Ruki at all.

So here Aoi was, waiting for the man to show up. The hospital had called him twice already, and although he picked up the second time, Aoi had no idea what was said, or if the man was even coming. Something in him wished that he had told the hospital that he would never come, and that they would allow Aoi in, but that was just wishful thinking. Unfortunately, not long after, Aoi saw a man in his late forties, worn from overworking, and looking outright furious at being dragged out of his home this early in the morning. Aoi immediately knew that this was Ruki's father and felt instant hate towards the man.

Ruki's father spent what seemed like twenty minutes talking with the nurse before storming out of the building, even more furious than when he arrived. Aoi was not sure what happened, but he looked at the nurse, seeing that she was also very uncomfortable with the conversation that she had just had. Going over slowly, Aoi looked at her pleadingly, hoping that after she had seen what a horrible man Ruki's father was, that she would let him in instead, seeing how concerned he was. This time luck was on his side, and she smiled sadly at Aoi and led him to the room.

On the way there, a million questions were running through Aoi's head, each one wanting to pass through his lips. He wanted to know if Ruki was okay, what damage there was, what had his father said; was Ruki going to make it? Instead, his voice betrayed him and he could say nothing.

The nurse took him into the room, and Aoi's face paled. Ruki was laying in the hospital bed, surrounded by white linen that washed out his already unusually pale complexion. Aoi instantly went to his side and took his hand in his own, stroking it gently. He listened quietly as the nurse explained the overdose, and how they couldn't proceed with any treatment without the consent from his guardian and how Ruki's father had given up his right to decide when he walked in; giving up custody of his own son. Aoi sighed in relief, but still felt sad for Ruki. No matter how horrible his father was, it was still abandonment and it was horrible.

"Will you treat him now?" Aoi asked attentively, not looking away from Ruki. He looked so near death that it scared Aoi. What if they refused to treat him? The nurse fortunately said yes, and explained that because his father had given up custody, Ruki had become a ward of the country, and the government would pay for his treatment. It brought some relief to Aoi, but not enough to quench the worry that was tearing at his heart. The nurse let him be alone with Ruki and Aoi couldn't help but openly cry.

"Oh, Ruki. What have you done to yourself?...Is it my fault? …Did I drive you to this?" Aoi looked down. His little blonde was in a coma, and there was nothing he could do about it. Sighing, Aoi called Kai and told him where to go to see Ruki. It wasn't long before Kai and Tora were there. Aoi looked at him sadly. He was having a hard time keeping it together and it showed, though he managed to keep his tears from falling.

"Aoi….have you talked to the nurse? Is he okay?" Aoi shook his head quietly and sighed.

"He's in a coma; overdosed on something, but they can't tell. They said it was a mixture of a few things…," Aoi sighed angrily, "Why, Ruki? It's our fault…isn't it…? For not getting him proper help?" Aoi looked down sadly. Kai put a hand on Aoi's shoulder, hoping to comfort him, but nothing seemed to be working. The room was in silence as the three of them sat around Ruki sadly, all silently wondering if they really were to blame.

Kai looked up as someone walked into the room and his eyes widened. Reita stood in the door, looking at the three and then to Ruki. His eyes widened at how awful Ruki looked, and immediately looked hurt and upset and himself. For too long he'd distanced himself from Ruki, angry that the short boy had chosen Aoi over him. Now, he regretted it. Was it his fault that Ruki was now in the hospital, clinging to life?

Reita walked over slowly to Ruki, taking his hand sadly. He briefly noticed Aoi on the other side of the bed, but didn't pay much mind to him for once. For once, Reita had nothing to say to Aoi. He realized that Aoi was just as upset as everyone else here. It wasn't the time to be getting in a fight. Reita understood this for once, though he could still feel everyone's stares as he sat beside Ruki, not letting go of his other hand.

He couldn't deny anymore that he wholeheartedly loved Ruki. The thought of losing him now made his heart hurt worse than he could ever imagine. He felt so regretful for kicking Ruki out of his life, but he knew that while Ruki was with Aoi, Reita wouldn't be able to be around them without hurting; so he distanced himself. Of course, everyone thought he was the ass, but he couldn't explain the hate he had felt towards Ruki when the shorter boy had betrayed him for Aoi.

If he could change things, he would have been braver. He would have told Ruki of his feelings long ago, long before Aoi took him. All of this would have been avoided, and the two of them could have been happy. Ruki would still be himself, and not this shell of what he used to be, hanging onto life as he laid comatose in the hospital.

The four sat quietly in the hospital room for hours, none of them knowing what to say to the other. It was a terribly awkward and sad silence, right to the end when the nurse came to tell them that visiting hours were over. As they packed up and started to file through the doors, the heard movement and looked back to the bed, where Ruki was laying, eyes open and looking at them all with confusion and sadness.


End file.
